LXRY LIST
Architecture at its best
The LXRY List 2023 highlights the architecture of the future; from Q Residences in Buitenveldert to a floating city on the coast of South Korea. No castles in the air, but concrete solutions for living, working and recreation.
Floating city
40 percent of the world's population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast and 90 percent of megacities (>10 million inhabitants) are threatened by rising sea levels. With floating infrastructure we can deal with threatening floods. And so the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, the UN Habitat and maritime development company Oceanix present the world's first floating city: OCEANIX Busan. That name did not come out of the blue: the city will be located off the coast of the South Korean city of Busan. OCEANIX Busan consists of interconnected platforms (a total of 15,5 hectares in size), which are connected to the mainland via bridges. Initially, the population is assumed to be 12.000, but that number can be expanded to 100.000. The project should lead to groundbreaking technology for vulnerable coastal cities. Because, as UN-Habitat Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif says: “We cannot solve today's problems with yesterday's tools.”
Built on the sun
For Taipower, the Taiwanese government's energy company, MVRDV designed a building for the storage and maintenance of sustainable energy equipment. The Sun Rock building is energy-generating thanks to, among other things, 4.000 square meters of solar panels, which together generate almost 1 million kWh of clean energy per year. The location can count on many hours of sunshine all year round. To convert this into energy as much as possible, the building was given a round shape. On the south side it slopes downwards, creating a large surface that faces directly the sun in the middle of the day. On the north side, the dome shape maximizes the area exposed to sunlight in the morning and evening. In addition to offices, a maintenance workshop and storage areas, the building also has an exhibition space where visitors can become acquainted with machines that make sustainable energy possible, from solar panels to enormous wind turbine blades. For Taipower, Sun Rock is a statement about sustainability and at the same time a way to communicate the company's green ambitions.
Bunker with zoning plan change
In response to Allied air raids, several enormous bunkers were built in Hamburg during the Second World War. These were made extra high to give the air defense a wide field of fire and to serve as a beacon for local residents who could take shelter there. Since there is no longer any shooting or shelter, the bunkers are used for other purposes. For example, in Willhelmsburg it serves as a local power plant with a viewing platform. And the bunker in the St. Pauli district housed, among other things, a television broadcaster, galleries and the Uebel & Gefährlich nightclub (the three and a half meter thick walls kept the noise in). Now the structure, with a floor plan of 75 by 75 meters and 38 meters high, is being expanded with six floors (accounting for 7.500 square meters) for, among other things, a memorial room, sports halls and an nhow hotel with 136 rooms. The roof structure will have a stepped shape and will be fitted with plants and trees all around. A 'mountain path' circles up to a public rooftop park. From shelter to city park.
Green at heart
In the Utrecht station area, Construction Combination Wonderwoods (Boele & van Eesteren | Kondor Wessels Amsterdam) is realizing Wonderwoods: the two 'greenest towers in the Netherlands' (total area 81.000 square meters), in which all aspects of life come together: living, working, culture, leisure , food and drink. The highest tower (105 meters), designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti, will be provided with a vertical forest of plants on the balconies and facades, thanks to approximately 4.000 planters, 161 tree containers and green roofs with a water retention function. The second tower (70 meters) is characterized by the curves in the facades typical of MVSA Architects. This design has a lot of greenery on the inside; The tower will have a large atrium and winter gardens along the facades. There will be a roof park at a height of 25 meters with a walkway connecting the towers. There is room here for a farm-to-fork restaurant and an Education Hub, where the Wonderwoods ecosystem is explained. By bringing flora and fauna back into the city, city residents are encouraged to rediscover their relationship with nature. And future generations are inspired to live harmoniously with greenery. Construction of Wonderwoods is expected to be completed in mid-2024.
Building with pluses
In the summer of 2022, the complex The Plus, designed by the Danish architectural firm BIG, was opened in the Norwegian village of Magnor, near the border with Sweden. This establishment for street furniture manufacturer Vestre is the first industrial building in the Norwegian region with a BREEAM Outstanding certificate, the maximum score based on sustainability criteria according to the 'Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method'. This is partly due to the choice of materials (locally acquired wood, sustainable concrete, recycled steel) and a design based on the principles of renewable and clean energy (solar panels, heat-cold storage) which guarantees that the factory emits at least 50 percent less greenhouse gases than comparable factories. The building is set up around an office building that provides access to four production halls that 'protrude' from the central volume. Seen from above, this creates the plus after which the building is named. In addition to being a sustainable production facility, The Plus is a destination for nature lovers. The production facility is located in a public forest, where people are welcome to hike and camp.
LXRY LIST 2023
What else can you expect in the future? The new LXRY List 2023 is out now! The annual wow magazine with innovative items and surprising addresses, a list that inspires and points to the future. Due to technological possibilities, new times are dawning...
