Facebook’s New Cool Office!

Studio o+a was responsible for redesigning Facebook’s new 150,000-square-foot office at Palo Alto, California, USA. During the design process, the design firm consulted employees to find out their expectations about the work environment and they designed the space for each department with a different twist. There is another interesting point here. Some of the walls have been left white and some places look as though they still might need some work. According to Facebook employee Everett Katigbak, this has been done on purpose as he notes on his blog:

The Dream House

This could give the Iron Man’s house a run for its money. Approximately 40 miles north of Auckland, New Zealand is the perfect perch for a proposed dream house. Though only an architectural visualization at this point, this is the kind of house you would normally expect a Bond movie villain to own!

Mahina, Maori for moon, designed by Weber Consulting was originally slated to be placed on the relatively uninhabited Kawau Island. However the island’s residents are torn over whether or not to allow it to be built. The controversy has led to international interest, and according to the New Zealand Herald News, the official website for the Mahina says that the moon-shaped house can be built anywhere on the planet.

The website literature states, “A predominantly modern residence with a ‘Bondesque’ suggestion of times past; the glamorous age of martinis and tuxedos.”

“Dispel the misconception that white is starck (sic) or austere. Here it is lavish, sumptuous, opulent.”

The house is 827 square feet and is set to have a plant room, deck, swimming pool and “thermal mass” to regulate internal temperatures.

the most interesting cake

the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world.

10. Versailles, France

Versailles Garden in France is 101 hectares garden that riddled with paths that lead to flower beds, quiet corners decorated with classical statuary, ornamental lakes.

Gyratory Urban Agency , United States

‘Structure’ implies the flow of forces, and forces affect to the movement of people and vice versa. The helix shape of structure keeps the continuity of flow of space where people occupy. The combined loop with gentle-slope art gallery and stairway allows two-way flows of access. The building has several duplicated moments where the movement could ‘intersect’ and ‘intervene’ in order to give the opportunity to transfer directions both in physical movement and programmatic configuration. The basic assignment of program is based on the helix structure, which is docking on the core of the helix in accordance with the viewers circulation, likewise the splitting gesture of blending solid and void, program extends from the basic structure of helix. Moreover the interior net structure which supports the cantilever helix provides the flexibility in floor usage, moreover in intersection between spaces. The basic response to the urban context is initiated from the concept of direction of force. The each flank of the building has the direct contact to the street, so helical shape provides the open space periodically towards both orientations to the streets. The second thing what this drawing center has relationship with the context is ‘platform’ between the gallery loops, this complex points of crossing passages are obviously extended to the city, also two intersections are heading to the main and second approaches. The situation of the site that is squeezed in regular urban blocks which affects to shape the relation with the existing building on north side, so that the new emerging building with extending manner that deals with the existing wall and the ground prevents from being remained the building either isolated or alienated in the urban fabric, rather encourages the cultural building to be intertwined and correlated in the urban context through both programmatic allocation and formal intervention to the city.

Special thanks ____Hyunchang Cho

rethinking courtyeard

The contemporary urban residences of Dhaka City is said to be the outcome of a series of “transformation” and “adaptation” that are still continuous. Various urban forces generated at different times and in phases, have over the years played an important role in shaping up the urban residences. The beginning of urbanization started with the migration of rural people. Even today many people in cities have rural roots and there is thus the continuity of many rural behavioral and cultural patterns in the urban context. The similarity in layout and use of space between the rural homestead and urban apartments is an example of that. The element which is inseparable from both the context is “the courtyard” which has undergone transformation from the beginning of urbanization, till now. Up till a few decades back the ‘courtyard’ was reduced to a ‘court’ due to limitation of land and an increasing demand to provide accommodation for the ever increasing population. As a result, the space was losing its essence, its purpose- socially, climatically and physically. Thus an attempt was made to revive its features by introducing another phase of transformation that this may have undergone- its free-flowing characteristics i.e. the outdoor becoming the indoor, its linkages with the surrounding landscape, spaces, a living space where the family members can interact with each other at leisure with neighbors as well as among themselves. At present, since all the residential buildings are multi-storied so the vertical relationship along with the horizontal relationship, the semiotic and not to mention the climatic aspects were taken in to consideration

design by _rabeya rahman ....

eye hospital_rafiq azam.

special thanks to _RAFIQ AZAM.

contemporary art museum at ashulia

special thanks to _jayanta roy.

bangladesh chancery complex at pakistan ..rafiq azam(2008)

Evolution of the Concept

Common Voyage to the Past - A meeting ground of two civilizations Pakistan having the history of around 5000 years old Indus Valley civilization and Bangladesh having the history of around 3000 years old Bengal civilization has a common voyage to the past. The resemblance between Bangladesh and Pakistan is the historical ruins of Buddhist civilization, particularly the terracotta brick ruins of both lands make it a common ground for the design. This inspired us to use this phenomenon as “typology” to develop the site as an “archeological Landscape”, a meeting ground for two civilizations. Horizontal Delta Meets Vertical Margalla - A single line, a humble intervention The concept of the project has evolved with a single horizontal line representing the land of Bangladesh against the vertical majestic Margalla Hills of Pakistan as a tender intervention. Bangladesh, the largest delta on earth having water in abundance with flatness of the land and Pakistan having a contoured land with range of mountains in Islamabad played the key role in setting up our whole design. Large water body as “delta” with flat long rectilinear parasol roof as “Jali” representing the flat humble landscape of Bangladesh looking at the regal stunning Margalla Hills is complimentary to each other. Design Consideration Geography and Climatology The city of Islamabad is situated at the edge of the Pothohar Plateau, south of Margalla Hills. The modern capital city Islamabad and the ancient Gakhar city of Rawalpindi stand side by side, displaying the country’s past and present. The area’s micro climate is regulated by three man-made lakes Rawal, Simli and Khanpur. The city over all has an extreme climate with hot summer with monsoon rain occurring during July and August, and fairly cold winter with sparse snowfall over the hills and sleet in the city. The weather ranges from a minimum of -3.9 degree C in January to maximum 49 degree C in June. Structural System Keeping the fact that Islamabad is potentially an earth quake zone a simple grid of 22 feet by 22 feet has been selected for the design. Also, the structural design has been developed respecting the local construction system. For this, basically 18x18 inches and 10x18 inches concrete columns with 24x10 inches beam structure have been used. Here concrete block cavity walls between columns have been used. Adding 2 inches exterior terracotta cladding totaling approximately 21 inches or 13 inches walls (basically these two types of wall as exterior walls) are the basis for the overall design. The “Jali roof” or parasol with approximately sixteen inches thick slab is supported by the circular columns of 25 inches diameter with numbers of circular punches. Use of Material - A link between climate and history The hot and dry climate of Islamabad in summer with low humidity and rather cold winter requires special consideration. Simultaneously considering the use of bricks in both the Indus civilization of Pakistan and the Bengal civilization is another consideration for the scheme. So, the C.C block wall with cavity and cladding brick as infill with R.CC structural column support is suggested to achieve the relatively comfortable interior. Here the use of locally available facing brick with increased thickness justifies the archeological ambience linked to the past. Soil Condition and Vegetation The overall soil, except a layer of fertile top reddish soil, is good for the 30 to 40 feet tall trees and shrubs. The rock is the basic formation of the soil underneath. For this reason Islamabad grows green trees mostly with the moderate height plants such as Acacia, cassia fistula, delonix regia (Krisnachura), apocynaceae(chatim), Jhao etc.. Therefore, these kinds of vegetation have been used in the proposed scheme SUSTAINABILITY: Cost Economy and Ecology Rainwater Harvesting As the use of water plays a vital role in the overall

special thanks to _rafiq azam