News
Sustainable architecture should improve the lives of people and communities
Carin Smuts, South African architect extraordinaire and principal at CS Studio Architects, believes that sustainable architecture involves way more than just using environmentally friendly materials and construction techniques and smart technology. For her, people are paramount when it comes to sustainable architecture. Read more…
A green answer to Vanity Fair's architecture poll has its own blind spot
When Vanity Fair recently released the results of a survey ranking the most significant pieces of architecture of the last 30 years -- with Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, topping the list -- the poll was met with extended grumbling. Read more…
Woods Bagot Unveils Towering Shijiazhuang Convention Centre
Drawing on the success of their proposal for the Melbourne Convention Center, architecture firm Woods Bagot recently won the award to design the Shijiazhuang International Exhibition and Convention Centre for the government of China. Read more…
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www.buildmind.net is an online built environment portal and carries BuildLeads a free online matching service that instantly connects people to building products, resources and services online. Read more…
HOK to receive Novum Design Excellence Award for iconic Salvador Dali Museum
The Salvador Dali Museum has moved premises once again as visitor numbers continue to climb. Started by friends and patrons of the legendary Catalan artist Albert and Eleanor Morse when their personal collection reached mammoth levels, the museum has gathered a huge following over its 39 years in operation. Dali himself presided over the opening of the Morse's first Salvador Dali Museum in Beachwood Ohio. Read more…
Rissik Street Post office saga continues
In a recent report in the Northcliff Melville Times, a group of heritage organisation are planning to institute legal proceedings against the Johannesburg City Council to restore the Rissik Street Post Office building in compliance with the Compulsory Repair Order issued by the Provincial Heritage Resources Agency-Gauteng (PHRA-G). Read more…
Rissik Street Post Office - history
One of Johannesburg's oldest public buildings, the Rissik Street Post Office, is a sad, rundown structure these days, overlooking the City Hall like a benevolent grandfather, waiting quietly to be revived to its former graceful elegance. That was until November 2009 when it was gutted by fire. Read more…
Databuild and The Virtual Works: Virtual success for the building industry
Using the latest generation of Web 2.0 networking technology, The Virtual Works (TVW) has established an online business network that "virtually" puts everyone in Southern Africa's construction industry in one room – Build Mind. Read more…
Features
DOS Architects present plans for 'moditional' Catholic Church of Transfiguration
Whilst DOS Architects' winning design for the Catholic Church of Transfiguration in Nigeria may appear very contemporary, it is intrinsically based on traditional principles of traditional Catholic Church design.
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House 6 / Marcio Kogan
The House 6 project was thought out after the client had made an important request. The family wanted a covered external space to be used for everyday living. This space should be used to organise all the social life of the house. The Brazilian tropical climate suggests ample use of these solutions in vernacular as well as in modern architecture.
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Piraeus Tower competition proposal / Petra Architects and Papaioannou + Associates
Petra Architects in collaboration with Papaioannou + Associates shared with us their proposal for the Piraeus Tower 2010 Competition in Greece. The "tower of Piraeus", a building left abandoned for years, dominates the port of Piraeus and remains a rather dry landmark of the cityscape.
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Residential Architecture
Pixelated Exterior Walls
Berlin House Uses Green Shingles to Achieve a Digitalized Effect
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Villa Berkel
Villa Berkel, in Veenendaal, was built on a site formerly occupied by a bungalow built in the nineteen seventies. The family wanted to remodel the bungalow, but decided on the advice of Paul de Ruiter's architectural bureau to demolish the bungalow and make room for a completely new design.
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herzog & de meuron: beirut terraces
Plans have recently been unveiled for 'Beirut terraces' a new residential development
by Swiss duo Herzog & De Meuron.
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Commercial Architecture
First Skyscraper With Built-In Wind Turbines Opens in London
London recently saw the completion of the world's first skyscraper with wind turbines integrated directly within its building fabric -- the Strata tower. Nicknamed the Razor, the black and silver skyscraper measures in at 147 meters (485 ft) tall.
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Sustainable Architecture Concept of SongJiang Hotel in China
The Songjiang district, near the Chinese city Shangai, is a popular zone for recreation. In this place,Atkins proposed a set of hotels called Songjiang, designed by the great sustainable hotel design for the green building on it.
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Interior Design & décor
Designing a second life from the old and discarded
Katie Thompson is a South African designer with a special passion: She loves designing original and collectable furniture, lighting and interior accessories by repurposing objects that others might consider junk.
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Curious Couch Legs
The retro-mod Papageno armchair is a sight for sore eyes. Sleek and deceptively simple, it's the legs that have me captivated.
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European Design in the Venetian
For the first time 18 leading European designers walk across the threshold of the furnaces in Murano all together. The result will be "EVERYDAY GLASS – Tales of Experimental Design".
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Tools and Technology
World's Largest Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) Project Online
As of Sunday, the world's largest stand alone integrated photovoltaic project was pumping out power into the grid. The building integrated PV system is located on the roof of the recently completed Hongqiao Rail Station in Shanghai.
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Going Green
Frontier Project an energy use model
Giant hospital in China is adopting a ventilation method based on a building in Rancho Cucamonga. Other 'green' facilities here also provide architectural lessons
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Gigantic Lawn Lounges Sprout Throughout England!
The National Trust of Briton says that the average English family is spending 43 hours each week at home on their sofa. Rather than scolding the population for such appalling behavior, the Trust is asking everyone to try out one of their freshly planted outdoor "living rooms".
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Best of Blogs
A Blank Canvas: A brief consideration of Modern Design
Modern Design was born at the turn of the 20th century. But as design does, this movement acquired from its predecessors, namely the Bauhaus and International styles. Bauhaus was an architectural school founded in 1918.
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Events
How to Comply with the New Consumer Protection Act Laws - Presentation
The Consumer Protect Act and the Protection of Consumer Information Acts will be promulgated into law in the next few months. These acts, together with amendments to the Companies Act and the Kind Code will align SA with global privacy and electronic communication and transaction practices. Read more…
AZA2010 – Africa's premier urban culture festival
Architecture ZA 2010 is set to become Africa's premier urban culture festival as it brings together leading-edge thinkers and multi-disciplinary practitioners from around the globe. It is the first time an event of this scope has been held in South Africa.
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PPC Cement Young Concrete Sculptor Awards 2010
Pretoria Portland Cement, in conjunction with the Association of the Arts Pretoria, invites all interested participants to submit entries to the PPC Young Concrete Sculptor Awards Competition before 29 September 2010.
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The 2010 Eskom Energy Efficient Lighting Design Competition
The goal of the energy efficient lighting design competition is to demonstrate that efficient lighting technologies, such as discharge, fluorescent and LED technologies, can be used in very contemporary and attractive luminaires and lighting design systems intended for residential lighting.
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Plascon Prism Awards 2010 A member of Freeworld Coatings Limited
RIEA.ch is an international institution based in Bern, whose purpose is advancing experimentation and research in the field of Experimental Architecture, in response to changing political, economic, technological and cultural conditions in the contemporary world.
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The Silent Borders Workshop
"People design homes, build homes and live in homes. And it is people who drive change. People design homes that reflect their changing environment and the mood of the time. Architecture has and will continue to be an important embodiment of our changing times." Baron Schreuder, Managing Director, Plascon South Africa (Pty) Ltd
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Don't miss South Africa's Premier Green Building Event!
2 full days of Green Building presentations & panel discussions, leading local and international experts, Green Star Rating Tool updates, government policy updates.
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Interbuild Africa 2010
Show dates: 8 -11 September 2010
Times: 10:00 to 18:00
Venue: MTN Expo Centre, NASREC, Gauteng
The Star Interbuild Africa, together with co-locating shows Plumbdrain Africa, Sani'ter, Frigair, Glass Expo Africa and Woodpro Africa, is the largest building services, construction, plumbing, drainage, water and sewerage, HVAC/R, glass and aluminium, and woodworking exhibition in Africa hosting the full spectrum of related industries in residential, commercial and industrial development.
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World Green Building Congress (WorldGBC) International Congress
13.09.2010 - 14.09.2010 - Where: Marina Bay Sands - Category: Events
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DesignHub
The 2010 DesignHub Architecture Competition - sponsored by Saint-Gobain
The 2010 DesignHub Respond/Renew/Revitalise student architecture competition, sponsored by Saint-Gobain Construction Products, addresses the issues around reclaiming and revitalising an existing landmark site, taking national, regional and local imperatives into account.
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Algorethmic Structures Workshop
Digital Design & Fabrication in Architecture
Johannesburg, South Africa,
02 - 12 August 2010
Tutors: Kristof Crolla [Zaha Hadid Architects, London]
Jeroen van Ameijde [Architectural Association, London]
In collaboration with: Dimitri Venetsanakis
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Decorex SA 10
5 – 9 Aug 2010-06-09 Gallagher Convention Centre
The largest décor & design show in Southern Africa brings you the latest on the local and international front and a fresh perspective on spaces in which you live, work and play.
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It's all in the detail
the essential sourcebook for interiors, design & stylish living
Click here to download our rate card
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Decorex Joburg marks its 17th anniversary with the themem 'Breath of Fresh Air' and a captivating collection of 650 high-end exhibitors. Southern Africa's largest decor and interior design event is the ultimate round up of what's new and now; with five halls filled with new reveals, fresh initiatives, themed pavillions and pure inspiration. Meet up with industry professionals, seek out new business opportunities and feast your eyes on the latest local and international trends. Attend design-minded one day conferences and see the latest in energy efficient products and LE lighting at the new Lightin in Design Pavillion. Read More.
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The DesignMind team
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