Sky Garden House

Here’s a house with gardens on all three levels designed by Singaporean studio Guz Architects on Santosa Island, Singapore. The Sky Garden House includes a large stone-lined swimming pool that can be viewed from inside the building at basement level through a large glazed window. A staircase with a glass balustrade and wooden steps snakes across the stairwell. The curved roof at the top is also covered in grass and affords views of the bay beyond. Photographs are by Patrick Bingham Hall. The information below is from the architects: sky garden house this house is located on a new housing estate on the island of Sentosa adjacent to singapore. The plots are not large and neighboring buildings are built close to the sides of each house. Thus our strategy was to build a solid wall to each side neighbor to provide privacy where possible, while creating a central light and stair well which would funnel the sea breeze through the center of the building. The front and rear of the building meanwhile, terrace back allowing each storey to have visual or actual access to greenery. The intention was to try to allow each roof garden provided a base for the storey above allowing the layered effect to make each storey feel like it was a single storey dwelling sitting in a garden.as much as we could do in the close confines of Sentosa island and with such a large building! l ocation Sentosa Island, Singapore area 852 sq. meters gross floor area 654 sq. meters design architect guz wilkinson

Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park

The first LEED Platinum Comercial High-Rise sits among the giants of #NYC

The Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park in midtown New York, designed by Cook + Fox Architects, is the first commercial high-rise to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

The 55-story, 2.2 million square foot project is a new addition to the towering blocks around Bryant Park in midtown and its dense context already challenges the role of the architecture. Cook+Fox establish a highly transparent corner entry, blending the public street with the private office building.

The form of the building deviates from its footprint, increasing the level of surface area exposed to day light and giving oriented views onto Bryant Park. Sustainable measures keep the building well insulated and protected from excess heat gain.

The design and high performance of this building is intended to set a new standard for commercial construction and for the office-work environment. By focusing on ways to emphasize daylight, fresh air and a connection to the outdoors, the architects redefine the parameters of the skyscraper as more than a glass box.

Monument Museum

Monument Museum, Islamabad, Pakistan

Kumutoto Toilets

These public toilets are located at the Synergy Plaza in the Kumutoto precinct on Wellington’s waterfront

As well as taking into account practical considerations such as security, hygiene and vandalism, the brief was to create a structure with a sculptural form, something iconic, highly visible and unusual that was also well integrated into the visual and historical context ofthe surrounding precinct.

To be seen in the round, the design comprises two elongated, irregularly curved forms, instantly recognisable from all key pedestrian approaches and terminating a sequence of spaces and elements along the laneway.

These organic forms, eye-catching and instantly memorable, are suggestive of crustaceans or sea creatures, as if the structure was a kind of fossilised husk that had been discovered and inhabited.

Recalling the waterfront’s shipping past, they cling to the surface of the precinct like barnacles to the underside of a boat.

Extreme Building

Project Report On Mix Concrete

project report on mix concrete

Download :

http://www.ziddu.com/download/19766528/finalreport.pdf.html

Partial cement Replaceable Material

An experimental program is conducted to develop new kinds of pozzolana from
other agricultural wastes apart from rice husk and rice straw. The study investigated the use of coconut husk, corn cob and peanut shell ash as cement replacement materials. A series of tests were performed to determine the chemical composition of coconut husk ash, corn -cob ash and peanut shell ash which are referred to as CHA, CCA and PSA respectively.

The mechanical properties of paste and mortar containing different percentages of ash replacement were investigated. Experimental results revealed that coconut husk ash and corn cob ash cannot be utilized as pozzolona while peanut shell ash can be classified as Class ‘C’ pozzolona according to ASTM Standards. Corn cob ash mortars possessed higher compressive strength. Among the four types of mortars tested for chemical attack, PSA mortars showed higher resistance against acidic attack.

Download :
http://www.ziddu.com/download/19766468/Partialcementreplaceablematerials2.pdf.html

High Performance Concrete

The current trend of use of superlatives in concrete technology may strike as
somewhat disconcerting to many .We had high strength concrete, hyperplasticiser, and
superplasticisers, very reactive Pozzolana, and now high performance concrete. It is difficult to imagine any concrete being manufactured and used, which is not intended to perform to the extent; high performance concrete is not a new material of construction.

It is difficult to imagine any concrete being manufacture and used, which is not intended to perform. The only difference is the level of performance, which is higher than ordinary. High Performance Lightweight Concrete (HPLC) has been extensively investigated for, among other applications, use in oil drilling platforms in severe environments.

The relationships and allowable stresses and the stress block given in structural codes for normal strength concrete (e.g. IS 456 or IRC 21) will require modification. Acceptance testing on site has to be more than cube testing at28 days. Where durability of concrete is the driving force for adoption of high performance concrete, in-situ permeability tests are performed as a matter of routine.

Download :

http://www.ziddu.com/download/19766452/HIGHPERFORMANCECONCRETE.pdf.html

Maturity Concept of Concrete

Maturity Concept of Concrete
(if file is not opening then rename file to maturity.pptx)

Download :
http://www.ziddu.com/download/19766323/maturity.ppt.html

Abstract on Millau Viaduct Bridge

The below attachment is the abstract of millau viaduct bridge

An engineering and architectural marvel! Just imagine it took them just 39 months to complete such a difficult feat.

Can't remember off hand, but there was a really good documentary on the construction of it on Discovery or TLC a month or so ago. It's located in southern France, and is the highest bridge in the world.

It is a truly amazing piece of engineering, especially considering the method used to span the distance between the piers. Between the red towers you see in the photo were removed following completion of the bridge. Be sure to maximize your screen for this. They haven't printed enough money to pay me to drive across this bridge!!

Download :

http://www.ziddu.com/download/19758265/abstractofmillauviaductbridge.doc.html

Reinforcement Detailing of Column Footings

Reinforcement Detailing of column footings

Download :

http://www.ziddu.com/download/19758203/ReinfDetailFootingCol.ppt.html

Green Buildings [doc]

Presentation on Green Buildings.

Download :
http://www.ziddu.com/download/19758177/ABSTRACT.doc.html

Niagara Falls : Casino Hotel

Musée de la Romanité in Nîmes

 Franco-Brazilian architect Elizabeth de Portzamparc has won a competition to design a museum of Roman history in Nîmes with this building dressed in a pleated glass toga.

 

The museum will be situated on the edge of the French city’s ancient Roman wall, opposite the famous Roman arenas and amphitheatre.

 It will comprise a square volume with a glass mosaic facade that appears to fall in horizontal pleats.

The geometry and lightness of the glass building have been designed to contrast with the rounded stone of the amphitheatre across the square.

The project specifications include the display of the museum’s collection, the landscaping of an archaeological garden and a feasibility study of a congress centre and hotel.

An interior street positioned between the entrance hall and the cafe will lead visitors through to the archaeological garden and will remain accessible even when the museum is closed.

 In the middle of the passage a 17-metre-high atrium will provide an introduction to the collection, which numbers over 25,000 items including mosaics from archaeological digs still unseen by the public.

  The archaeological garden has been designed by landscaper Régis Guignard from Méristème, with plants corresponding to the pre-Roman, Roman and post-Roman periods to match the museum’s themes.

From the main hall, visitors will climb a winding staircase, arriving on the rooftop terrace with views over the garden and the arenas.

Construction is planned to begin in autumn 2013 and the museum is set to open in early 2017.

Can a Wildlife Bridge Fix America’s $8 Billion Roadkill Problem?

We all know that roadkill is a tragic corollary of car culture. What you might not know is that it’s also mega-expensive. Vehicle-animal collisions cost Americans a whopping $8 billion a year.Design can help. Balmori Associates, a New York City landscape design firm, proposes building simple, inexpensive wooden bridges over highways, then covering them in native vegetation to create a sort of wildlife crosswalk. Each bridge would be so wide and the greenery so diverse, it’d appear like an extension of the forest, and animals, the thinking goes, would be less inclined to go galloping across roads helter skelter, resulting in fewer accidents (and a slimmer cleaning bill).Balmori came up with the idea for the ARC International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition, which bills itself as the “first-ever international design competition… intended to solve the problem of ensuring safe travel for humans and wildlife.” The contest ends in January, when one of five design teams is selected to build a bridge over West Vail Pass in Colorado. ARC expects the winning design to serve as a model for other parts of the country (clearly, the only way to make a dent in that $8 billion figure is to repeat the idea elsewhere). To that end, Balmori’s bridge isn’t specific to Vail. “It is a kit of parts,” the press materials say, “that can be applied and adapted to various conditions and sites.”

New Delhi Railway Station, India

The New Delhi railway station is getting a sleek new look. From new infrastructure to technological enhancements, the station is on track to reach world-class status by 2010.Other than completion of the mammoth Route Relay Interlocking System (RRI), that came after circuiting an area of about 3.5km using 700km of cables, the station plans to offer a lot more to its passengers by the year-end. A sprawling new building with enhanced passenger amenities, international graphic signs, disabled-friendly platforms, shopping arcade, food court and the list goes on.The completion of the first part of the renovation came at a cost of Rs 71 crore. Apart from the route relay interlocking system that costed Indian Railways Rs 27 crore, the maintenance facility of the station has also been upgraded by the addition of a track. A new track has also been added to remove the bottleneck from the Sadar Bazaar side.‘‘The completion of RRI has made sure that there was no conflicting movement on the tracks. Not just that, the RRI will also drastically reduce the chances of rail traffic congestion,’’ said a Northern railway spokesperson.The entire RRI system is controlled from power cabin where the operators have a layout in front of them indicating the occupied and unoccupied tracks. With RRI capable of handling 1,278 routes, the station has also entered the Guiness Book of World Records. According to a railway official, the transformation of New Delhi Railway Station is not just because of the Commonwealth Games but also to handle 8-12% growth in passenger traffic in last 2-3 years. Northern Railways chief spokesperson, Rajiv Saxena said, “With the increase in passenger rush, its not just the rail traffic that has to be smoothened but facilities for passengers comfort are also to be added. To meet this demand, railways is carrying out the required changes.’’ The station has also added four platforms (two of which are to be completed shortly), which will ease out the problem of trains getting held up because of the unavailability of platforms. Saxena added, ‘‘Going by the fact that the during the peak seasons the station handles more than 4 lakh passengers, the additional platforms will also offer greater passenger space.” The new 80,000-square foot station building at the Ajmeri gate entrance will only make things better. According to a railway official, it will be a state-of-the-art building. Expected to be ready by December-end, it will have a touch-screen enquiry system, plasma TV but also an AC ticketing area. The building will also house both AC and non-AC waiting rooms and dormitories.

iQuarter / Cartwright Pickard Architects

This riverside high-rise in Sheffield contrasts beautifully with its 19th century neighbors

The brownfield site, which faces the River Don, was previously used for retail and warehousing.

This mixed use scheme provides residential, retail and office accommodation, revitalising a key riverside site in Sheffield

The scheme, is housed in a landmark 16-storey tower, two five-storey apartment buildings and the converted Grade II listed Castle House. The scheme also includes a new riverside walkway, landscaped public space at the centre of the site, and the restoration of the ‘crucible stack’ – a historically significant listed monument.

The materials palette of high quality brick, glass and zinc claddings was selected for ease of maintenance, longevity, and to contrast with the rich colours of the adjacent nineteenth century listed buildings.

Curating Restlessness: Regulating Landscapes of Change

The research Proposal by Michael Ippolito from the California College of the Arts proposes a radical rethinking of architecture and landslides. The Marin Headlands is home to over twenty landslides. The most notable and fastest acting landslide in the Headlands is located on the Oceanside of the park between rodeo cove and Tennessee Valley. It is known as place that has been left behind and rendered a volatile wasteland. This wasteland has consumed many man-made structures including eight abandoned military buildings, and two roadways.

The DISPENS(FILTRATOR) proposal renders the existing landslide to be inhabited by an architecture that filtrates the landscape for scientist, students, and recreationist. There are three major components of the DISPENS[FILTRATOR] ; one: the harvesting zone that filtrates boulders, rocks, soil, and water into four different levels, two: the recreational zone that dispenses recreational mechanisms such as the stargazer, climbing cage, and nature watcher, and three: the collection zone (after life) where the mechanisms are collected and jumbled into an artificial habitat where plant and animal life can thrive.

The DISPENSFILTRATOR is an architecture that curates the environment and blurs the distinction between BUILDING, LANDSCAPE, and WASTELAND. This radical rethinking of architecture and landslides allows the populations that visit these kinds of sites to experience a heightened awareness of savvy inhabitance for increasingly dynamic landscapes.

Colombo Mixed-Use Development

Safdie Architects was recently selected to design a new mixed-use development in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The 69-storey mixed-use project will be the first for Moshe Safdie in Sri Lanka, and is expected to be the tallest residential building in Colombo when it is completed. The design includes expansive family and community space amenities such as community gardens, shared outdoor spaces within the upper levels of the building, and individual roof gardens or terraces for every residence, a hallmark of Safdie’s design philosophy to provide access to outdoor spaces in high density urban housing. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The 69-storey mixed-use development is in the city center and will face Beira Lake, with pedestrian accessible retail outlets at the ground level. The Colombo project draws on Safdie’s groundbreaking Habitat ’67 in Montreal. Since that time, Safdie Architects has continued to explore and build projects incorporating fractal-geometry surface patterns, dramatic stepping of the structure that results in a network of gardens open to the sky, and streets that interconnect and bridge community gardens in the air.
Colombo’s building form consists of two tower blocks, with one block leaning into the other vertical tower, which supports it. The overall form tapers towards the sky, so that even though it is quite a large building, it maintains a delicacy on the skyline. The structure is highly rationalized, affording cross-ventilation and multiple exposures in every residential unit. The towers are oriented to the movement of the sun and to maximize air flow in the tropical climate, as well as take advantage of 270-degree views of Beira Lake and the Indian Ocean.

At the ground level, an arcade of retail outlets on the west side facing Beira Lake sets the standard for future lakefront development along the planned pedestrian promenade. Restaurants on a mezzanine level overlook the promenade onto the Lake.

Pradeep Sureka, Director of Indocean Developers (Pvt) Ltd., whose company will build the towers, said “We are pleased to be working with Moshe Safdie on this project. It was of paramount importance to us that that architect we chose be an iconic, global figure with a list of commendable projects in his/her portfolio. We had no hesitation in deciding on Moshe Safdie. In particular, Safdie’s design for Marina Bay Sands integrated resort has become an immediately recognizable symbol of Singapore, and we are confident that he will do justice to the beautiful Beira Lake site.”

Architects: Safdie Architects

Location: Beira Lake, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Developer: Indocean Developers (Pvt) Ltd, a venture of Indian property group South City Projects (Kolkata) Pvt. Ltd

Project: High end, luxurious 69-storey residential tower with shopping, F&B outlets and entertainment

Land/Built-up Area: Two acres/close to 1.5 million sqft

Expected Starting Date: 2012

Expected Date of Completion: 2017

Anara Tower

Anara Tower was a proposed supertall skyscraper located in Dubai. It would have been 600 m (1,968 ft) tall with 135 floors. It was designed to look like a massive wind turbine. If it was ever built the tower was supposed to be a mixed use tower with offices, retail spaces, apartments, and an art gallery. Anara Tower would have incorporated sky gardens every 27 floors and would have contained a luxury restaurant. It was to have been constructed as an energy efficient tower by installing renewable sources of energy and incorporating water efficiency strategies.
The building was cancelled in 2009.