Geotextile mat helps hold North Dakota river in place

September 1, 2008  |  Case Studies, Features

The Grand Forks, North Dakota river jumped its banks; now a geotextile mat helps hold it in place. By Adam Regn Arvidson On the riverfront in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in a park called the Town Green, is a concrete obelisk that commemorates floods. The tip of that obelisk, 16.5m above the Red River…
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Sustainable headquarters features fabric stitched into building

September 1, 2008  |  Case Studies, Features

The headquarters of fashion designer Hugo Boss. Space for more than 300 employees and design studios is neatly tucked into the Hugo Boss center for design and development, located in the tiny Swiss village of Coldrerio not far from the Italian border. Although the staff for the designer label may nu…
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Hotel entrance canopy evokes the earth and sea

September 1, 2008  |  Case Studies, Features

By Jamie Swedberg To a guest at the 132-room Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa, it’s obvious what separates this place from other hotels. The property is the world’s first and only Gold LEED™ Certified hotel, which means that it has met rigorous environmental sustainability standards …
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Ground control in northern California

September 1, 2008  |  Case Studies, Features

Stabilizing a “living roof” with biodegradable geotextile and interlocking plant trays helps the new California Academy of Sciences building blend into hilly surroundings. By Shelby Gonzalez Lead architect Renzo Piano envisioned the new California Academy of Sciences (CAS) building as an…
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Dome houses Made in Berlin exhibition

September 1, 2008  |  Exteriors

Berlin has a new creative ambassador in the form of the Berlin Design Dome. The dome was created to house the Made in Berlin exhibition at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, a trade show for furniture and interior design. The dome, designed by Susanne Philippson and Zendome, was built to…
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Australia’s largest temporary shade structure keeps sports cool

September 1, 2008  |  Exteriors

Tradition is important at Victoria Park Racecourse, where sporting events, from equestrian competitions to the Clipsal 500 Adelaide V-8 Supercar race, attract South Australian enthusiasts. Full sun-exposure detracts from patrons’ enjoyment, and while permanent solutions are debated, Shadework …
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World’s largest mobile venue to tour

September 1, 2008  |  Exteriors

Norwegian designers, Various Architects (VA) have designed the Mobile Performance Venue (MPV) for the Arts Alliance Productions performance “ID – Identity of the Soul”, which will tour worldwide in 2009. The MPV is a dynamically twisting 90m by 60m ellipse with curving walls and a …
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High-tech lightweight fabric roof covers performance facility

September 1, 2008  |  Exteriors

Early August, 5,000 patrons attended the inaugural performance by the Sun Valley Symphony in its new performance facility, the Sun Valley Pavilion, in Trail Creek Canyon of Sun Valley, Idaho. The amphitheater, designed by FTL Design Engineering Studio, reflects acoustical excellence, sporting a high…
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Zenith performance space in Strasbourg wraps itself in color and light

September 1, 2008  |  Exteriors, Features

By Helen Elias Close your eyes and think of a traditional Chinese lantern — one of those round, red ones that look like it might have been pulled out of the center of a concertina. Push the shape around just a little, until it is almost elliptical, and color it a bright, vibrant orange. Then &…
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Dramatic freestanding canopy protects medical center patients

September 1, 2008  |  Exteriors, Features

Adding a dramatic canopy at the entrance to the UT Southwest Medical Center improved the patient experience. By Steve Fredrickson Studies show that a quality environment has as much to do with swift patient recovery as the quality of the medicine dispensed by staff. It only makes sense that a green,…
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