These previously unseen photographs show the faceted modular structure of the Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan, which was designed and completed in just eight months (+ slideshow).
The building, which was presented earlier this month at the Inside Festival in Singapore, had to be designed and constructed simultaneously to be ready in time to host last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, so German firm GMP Architekten collaborated closely with contractors Alpine Bau Deutschland and Nüssli throughout the process.
Conceived as both a concert hall and a sports stadium, the 25,000-seat stadium comprises a lightweight steel structure with a faceted membrane facade intended to resemble cut crystal.
According to Nussli’s Claus Kruppa, it was originally planned as a temporary structure, but was subtly altered during construction to enable it to remain in place for longer.
“A small change in the drawings, and now it’s going to be there for 30-40 years,” he said.
The building is located on a peninsula outside the centre of Baku. Its facade is covered with 9500 LED lights, which bring the structure to life after dark.
Balconies covered in tropical plants and contoured surfaces based on rock formations surround this Singapore hotel by WOHA, which topped the hotels category at the Inside Festival awards last week.
Singapore studio WOHA designed the PARKROYAL on Pickering hotel as an extension of Hong Lim Park, a new green space located next to the site in the centre of the city’s business district.
By adding plant-covered balconies and terraces around the exterior, the architects were able to create 15,000 square metres of greenery – around double the area of the site – and give every guest a garden view from their room window.
These green spaces are complemented by the contoured surfaces that make up the building’s podium. Modelled on the topography of natural landscapes, these surfaces break through the glazed outer walls and continue through the reception spaces at ground level.
Other details such as hanging vines, pools of water and raw stone continue the natural theme, while mirrors line the walls and ceilings to reflect light through the space.
The top of the podium accommodates a terrace for guests, complete with infinity-edge pools and pavilions shaped like giant birdcages.
A total of 367 rooms are contained in the upper levels of the building. The architects were also responsible for the interiors of these spaces, but dropped the garden theme in favour of clean bright spaces with bespoke furniture and fittings.
Designed as a hotel and office in a garden, the project at Upper Pickering Street is a study of how we can increase the green replacement in a high-rise development in the city centre and multiply it in a manner that is architecturally striking, integrated and sustainable.
Located in central Singapore, the site is at a junction between the CBD and the colourful districts of Chinatown and Clark Quay, and faces Hong Lim Park. A contoured podium responds to the street scale, drawing inspiration from a combination of landscaped bonsai arrangements that are modelled, chiselled and spliced to mimic natural landscapes and mountain rock formations as well as that of the contoured padi fields of Asia. These contours are precast concrete elements of modular radii, allowing the complex, sculptural podium to be put together from a basic ‘kit of parts’.
On the ground the contours create dramatic outdoor plazas and gardens which flow seamlessly into the interiors. Greenery from the park is drawn up in the form of planted valleys, gullies and waterfalls. The landscaping also conceal openings to the above ground carparking while allowing in air and natural light. The top of the podium is a lush landscaped terrace housing the development’s recreational facilities, with infinity edge pools opening up unobstructed views of the city. Birdcage cabanas perched over the waters add interest and delight.
The crisp and streamlined tower blocks harmonise with surrounding high-rise office buildings. They are attenuated into an open-sided courtyard configuration, breaking down the ‘wall of buildings’ effect and maximising views and daylighting into the building. Blue and green glass create a patina that recall the waters of Singapore River adjacent. Lofty 4 storey sky gardens which bring lush greenery directly to the rooms and breaks down the scale of the building. Corridors, lobbies and common washrooms are designed as garden spaces with stepping stones, planting and water features which create an alluring resort ambiance with natural light and fresh air, instead of being 24-hour energy guzzling air conditioned spaces. Tall overhangs work together with leafy foliage to screen these spaces from the weather and direct sun.
A total of 15,000m2 of skygardens, reflecting pools, waterfalls, planter terraces and green walls were designed; this is double the site area or equivalent to the footprint of Hong Lim Park! A diverse variety of species ranging from shade trees, tall palms, flowering plants, leafy shrubs and overhanging creepers come together to create a lush tropical setting that is attractive not only to the people but also to insects and birds, extending the green areas from Hong Lim Park and encouraging bio-diversity in the city.
These landscapes are designed to be self-sustaining and rely minimally on precious resources. Rainwater collected from upper floors irrigate planters on the lower floors by gravity supplemented by non-potable recycled Newater, which will also be used for all water features. Photovoltaic cell arrays on the roof will power grow lamps and softscape lighting, making these Singapore’s and perhaps the world’s first Zero Energy Skygardens!
This project is awarded Singapore’s Green Mark Platinum, the nation’s highest environmental certification. The hotel officially opened in January 2013.
The floor of the Carrer Avinyó apartment by London studio David Kohn Architects is covered in triangular tiles that gradually change colour from green to red across the space.
The architects designed the apartment as a holiday home for two brothers who live in Hong Kong. They removed the internal partitions to form a large living area and restored the original ceiling mouldings – read our full story about the project here.
After the announcement David Kohn commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the award. The project demonstrates how an interior can be about the city in which it is situated. An homage to Barcelona.”
“The project has a quality we set out to find today, that is the quality of magic,” said Inside Awards head judge Nigel Coates at the awards ceremony. “Spanning extremes of scale, it has become a suitcase you can sleep in but also a place for celebration and entertainment. The newly achieved large central room combines simplicity with a sense of space that stimulates curiosity.”
The winners were selected from a shortlist of 59 projects by a jury headed by designer Nigel Coates and featuring designers Jason Bruges, Lyndon Neri of Neri & Hu and Sadie Morgan of dRMM. Dezeen is media partner for the biennial Inside Festival 2013 and we’ll be announcing winners from day two tomorrow.
Each category winner will be put forward for the title World Interior of the Year, to be announced at the festival on Friday.
The event continues at the Marina Bay Sands hotel and conference centre in Singapore until 4 October, coinciding with the World Architecture Festival. Look out for day one winners from WAF 2013, which we’ll publish later on today.
Here are the details of today’s six winning interior projects:
Dardanel Administration Building
Creative Re-use category: Dardanel Administration Building by Alatas Architecture & Consulting
Turkish firm Alatas Architecture & Consulting redesigned the interior of this wooden waterside mansion in Istanbul to include steel reinforcement to improve earthquake resistance, plus a transparent staircase and elevator.
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki
Culture category winner: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp, FJMT + Archimedia (Architects in Association)
Tree-like canopies with wooden patterns cover the entry forecourt, atrium and gallery areas of the Auckland Art Gallery by Australian firm FJMT and New Zealand studio Archimedia. Large transparent walls allow views from the galleries to the city’s Albert Park.
Health category winner: Knowledge Centre, St. Olavs Hospital by Nordic Office of Architecture
The new laboratories, auditoriums and catering facilities at this hospital in Trondheim, Norway, by Nordic Office of Architecture have exposed lattices of wooden ceiling beams that contrast with raw concrete stairwells.
Clemenger BBDO. Photo by Nicole England
Office category winner: Clemenger BBDO by Hassell
Advertising and marketing agency Clemenger BBDO’s Sydney office was designed by architects Hassell to be a workshop-like space with an informal layout and open offices.
Tashya
Shops category winner: Tashya by Charged Void
Ornately patterned wood screens are used a copper and steel elements to create a contemporary take on traditional Indian interiors at this fashion and jewellery boutique by design studio Charged Voids.
Shopping Centres category winner: Emporia by Wingårdh arkitektkontor
Swedish architects Wingårdh colour coded the glass atriums in this shopping centre in Malmö to help shoppers navigate the huge complex, which has a giant golden chasm at its entrance – read more about the project in our previous story.
Barrakka Lift
Transport category winner: Barrakka Lift by Architecture Project
As part of the regeneration of Valletta, this 20-storey-high public lift from the recently restored harbour to the top of the Maltese capital’s fortified walls has an aluminium mesh skin and glazed lift carriages to offer views out to the sea – read more about the project in our previous story.
Also highly recommended by the judges were Google Japan by Klein Dytham Architects in the offices category and Sydney Cruise Terminal by Johnson Pilton Walker Architects in the transport category.
Stay tuned for movies from Singapore we’re filming for the latest leg of our Dezeen and MINI World Tour.
News: the shortlist of interior design projects for this year’s Inside Awards has been announced, with Zaha Hadid’s undulating cultural centre in Azerbaijan, a hotel filled with gullies and waterfalls, and Google’s headquarters in Japan all making the list (+ slideshow).
Heydar Aliyev Centre, Azerbaijan by Zaha Hadid Architects
The Inside Awards form part of the biennial Inside Festival, a showcase of international interiors that will take place at the Marina Bay Sands resort in Singpore from 2 to 4 October.
Fat Noodle, Australia by Luchetti Krelle
Shortlisted entries are divided into twelve categories, the winners of which will be announced during the festival. One project from this selection will go on to be crowned World Interior of the Year at a ceremony on 4 October.
Hublot Pop-Up Store, Singapore by Asylum Creative Pte Ltd
As media partners for the event, Dezeen will film a series of interviews with the twelve category winners. Inside Festival will be held in conjunction with the World Architecture Festival for the first time this year.
DPS Kindergarten School, India by Khosla Associates
» Ammo Bar + Restaurant, Hong Kong by WANG » Kaiseki Yoshiyuki + Horse’s Mouth, Singapore by Asylum Creative Pte Ltd » Fat Noodle, Australia by Luchetti Krelle » Jones the Grocer Sydney, Australia by Landini Associates » White Cafe, Thailand by Duangrit Bunnag Architect Limited » 11-11 Club, Turkey by Uras X Dilekci Architects » Zafferano, Singapore by Designphase DBA
Dardanel Administration Building, Turkey by Alatas Architecture and Consulting
Creative Re-use
» Nova Scotia Power Corporate Headquarters, Canada by WZMH Architects » Gowings and State Theatre Buildings restoration and hotel conversion, Australia by Woodhead » Dardanel Administration Building, Turkey by Alatas Architecture & Consulting » IBC Innovation Factory, Denmark by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects » Good Shepherd Chapel, Australia by Robert Simeoni Pty Ltd Architects
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Australia by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp, FJMY and Archimedia (Architects in Association)
Culture
» Heydar Aliyev Centre, Azerbaijan by Zaha Hadid Architects » Wujin Grand Theatre, Phoenix Valley, Australia by Studio505 Pty Ltd » Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, New Zealand by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp, FJMT + Archimedia (Architects in Association) » Louisiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame, United States of America by Trahan Architects
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center, USA by Olson Kundig Architects
Display
» Hublot Pop-Up Store, Singapore by Asylum Creative Pte Ltd » Black and White Gallery, United Kingdom by CarverHaggard » Hakko Kyoto, Japan by Osamu Morishita Architect & Associates » Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center, United States of America by Olson Kundig Architects
Fontys Sports College, Netherlands by Mecanoo Architecten
Education
» Baldivis Secondary College, Australia by JCY Architects and Urban Designers » Victoria University, Learning Spaces of the Future, Australia by BVN Donovan Hill » DPS Kindergarten School, India by Khosla Associates » Fontys Sports College, Netherlands by Mecanoo Architecten
Knowledge Centre, St Olavs Hospital, Norway by Nordic Office of Architecture
Health
» Knowledge Centre, St. Olavs Hospital, Norway by Nordic Office of Architecture » The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Australia by BVN Donovan Hill » Clienia – Lino Castle, Germany by Dan Pearlman Markenarchitektur » Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, United States of America by Perkins+Will
Park Royal on Pickering, Singapore by WOHA
Hotels
» The Beautique Hotels Figueira, Portugal by Atelier Nini Andrade Silva » Macalister Mansion, Singapore by Ministry of Design » 54.2 Tacofino Commissary, Canada by Omer Arbel Office » Hotel Pupp, Italy by Bergmeisterwolf Architekten + Christian Schwienbacher » Park Royal on Pickering, Singapore by WOHA » CitizenM London Bankside, Netherlands by Concrete » Fazenda Boa Vista | SPA, Brazil by Isay Weinfeld
» Clemenger BBDO, Australia by Hassell » Mozilla Factory, Japan by Nosigner » Allen & Overy, Australia by BVN Donovan Hill » Top Time Office, China by Cimax Design Engineering » Citi Private Bank, Singapore by New York Eight » Google Japan, Japan by Klein Dytham Architects » Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Shukugawa Branch, Japan by Nikken Space Design » Allens Linklaters, Australia by BVN Donovan Hill
Uxbridge Street, United Kingdom by VW&BS
Residential
» Cube House, Brazil by StudioMK27 » Carrer Avinyó, United Kingdom by David Kohn Architects » The Pinwheel House, Singapore by K2LD Architects » The Green House, Singapore by K2LD Architects » Uxbridge Street, United Kingdom by VW+BS
» Emporia, Sweden by Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB » Hysan Place, Hong Kong by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates » Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort – Beachwalk, Indonesia by PT Enviro Tec Indonesia
» Crumpler Prahran, Australia by Russell & George » Gaurav Gupta Couture, India by Lotus Design Services » Tashya, India by Charged Voids » Oscar & Wild, Australia by Matt Gibson Architecture + Design
» Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Singapore by RSP Architects Planners & Engineers » Barrakka Lift, Malta by Architecture Project » Sydney Cruise Terminal, Australia by Johnson Pilton Walker Architects » NSCBI Airport Kolkata, India by Sikka Associates Architects, RMJM
In our third movie about this year’s World Architecture Festival and Inside Festival, architect, designer and Inside Festival jury chair Nigel Coates discusses his breakthrough interiors project Caffè Bongo and explains what he will be looking for when judging the awards.
Middle and Over Wallop restaurant by Nigel Coates at Glyndebourne opera house
“I don’t really see interior design as a discipline,” says Coates. “I see it as a phenomenon. I call it ‘atmos’: when something special happens in an interior which isn’t just functional or stylistic.”
Otaru Marittimo Hotel by Nigel Coates
He goes on to explain that, for him, a good interior “needs to communicate something extra. Not just to a visitor but to the person who lives in it, who’s familiar with it. It needs to create a warmth, cause a kind of alchemy in the way you exist in it.”
Caffè Bongo, Tokyo
Coates says his breakthrough in interiors came in 1986 with Caffè Bongo in Tokyo. Inspired by Italian director Federico Fellini’s 1960s movie La Dolce Vita, the café combined classical statues and architectural elements with parts of an aeroplane that had seemingly crashed into it.
“[It] may seem completely wild,” says Coates. “But I still assert that the crashed aircraft into that building was calm compared with the other nonsense that was going on up and down the street.
“There was an aircraft wing at the top of the window. Charles Jencks described it as a crash. I would see it more as a fusion of the biggest object that symbolises movement and the architectural condition of the window.”
The Waterhouse at South Bund by Neri&Hu, winner of the 2011 Inside Festival awards
When judging the awards for this year’s Inside Festival, which takes place in Singapore in October, Coates will be looking for projects that “create a sort of chemistry”.
He says: “What I want to see is the translation of an idea. If it’s just based on style and nice finishes, even clever organisation, that’s not enough. The idea needs to translate into some kind of sensual experience, it needs to capture you.
“Interiors can be dismissed, but if we’re talking about excellence, I think it’s just as hard to do a good interior as it is to do a good building.”
In our second movie about the World Architecture Festival and Inside Festival, to be held at the Marina Bay Sands hotel (above) in Singapore this October, programme director Paul Finch describes the themes of the two coinciding events.
First up is the World Architecture Festival (WAF), a series of awards, talks and exhibitions with the title Value and Values. “What value does architecture provide socially, economically, psychologically, functionally, to clients and communities around the world?” asks Finch.
The biennial Inside Festival joins WAF in Singapore for the first time this year. The theme will be Keeping it Real, which Finch says will include “things like the virtues of augmented reality” within its exhibition and conference programme.
A student charrette will also feature in the event, where students from about eight schools around the world will look at the implications of ageing populations on architecture and design.
The World Architecture Festival and Inside Festival take place from 2 to 4 October at the Marina Bay Sands hotel and conference centre in Singapore.
This year Dezeen readers can save 10% on the early rate cost of entering the WAF and Inside awards. Simply open a user account via the WAF or Inside website, follow the instructions given then use the VIP code “Dezeen” when registering your entry to claim your discount before 7 June.
Architects and designers booking a pass to attend the World Architecture Festival will also receive a 25% discount when registering a second delegate, while a 50% discount will be applied when booking a third.
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