VIRGIN GATEWAY TO SPACE - LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO

The Virgin Gateway to Space building is the world's first commercial space terminal. Designed by (unsurprisingly) Norman Foster, the building is located in an isolated desert landscape. The shapes, forms and not to forget the technology of the building clearly resemble a style that can be considered to be one that mixes architectural styles from various modern day sci-fi movies. The look of the building itself illustrates the purpose of the building quite clearly - Even an unknowing visitor would probably be able to guess that whatever is in the building, might probably get you up and above the clouds. There are some classical Norman Foster sustainable design methods used in this building for natural cooling and such, but these are not the noteworthy in this case. This building is the first of its kind, but clearly marks a new era in transportational architecture. Although the users of this building will be very few (not to mention their wealth!), one day, such commercial spaceports might become available to the common man, and it's surely going to be interesting to see how the building functions over time.

Further reading:

- http://goo.gl/LpQxG

- Andy Minchev

CHAPEL IN AIRPORT - RIGA, LATVIA

Having been working with glass for very few weeks ago, I came across a certain project on Architizer, that shows our glass construction systems in real life (in a much smaller scale though). This project is a little chapel in Riga's International Airport. Although one may discuss the whether or not it is right to have a place of worship for a certain religion in a building that is intended for use by all nationalities and cultures, design-wise, the room is a true place of serenity.

The concrete surfaces of the room may at first seem like something from a dystopian sci-fi novel, but with the natural light above and the light wooden flooring, the room seems calm and peaceful. The forms in the room, in all their simplicity hint to Japanese architecture, which somehow justifies idea of having a place of worship in an airport. But most noteworthy regarding the glass construction part, is that one side of each bench is elevated by the use of glass, as seen more clearly bellow:

These elements of glass can safely carry the load of a concrete slab with up to four people on it, once again proving the surprising strength of the material. As I have earlier mentioned in my glass post, one of the greatest issues with glass, is that it can very easily break when exposed to horizontal forces, which is most likely why only one of the sides of the benches is held up by the glass element. Besides being constructionally impressive, it is also clear to see, that the glass elements give a certain special aesthetic touch, that underlines the elegant simplicity and calmness of the room. Read more about the project and view more images at Architizer (link bellow)

Further reading:

- http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/chapel-in-riga-international-airports-north-terminal/30645/

- Andy Minchev

HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION - KEMPTEN, GERMANY

Industrial buildings, and especially power stations, are very rarely buildings that are noted for any sort of aesthetic values and/or qualities. As a matter of fact, areas with such buildings are only visited by those who work there and almost never by outsiders, due to their lack of, well, appeal, to say the least. For example, you wouldn't go to a factory or a warehouse to admire its architectural appearance. Such structures have historically been strictly functional, sticking to standardized designs, that are cheap and functional. But every once and a while, architects step in and try to break the negative stereotypes of such industrial architecture, and here I have found such a brilliant example.

This is what I believe to be, a fine example, of how even the most functional of structures - a power station - can still be turned aestethically pleasing, while still maintaining its function. The design mimics the dynamic movement of the water, in a pleasing and vibrant way, making the concrete structure an interesting and dynamic addition to the city's river area, while also having a form that is hydrodynamically practical and efficient - a perfect harmony between architectural aesthetics and engineering functionality.

Whether or not the surfaces of the power station are publicly accesible is unknown to me, but I can clearly imagine the organic top of the structure being an exciting place for seating by the river, and if the structure was more directly connected to the pedestrian area by the river, I imagine that the two could've, in great harmony, have created an utmost attractive social hang-out area by the river, with perhaps possibilites for events of all sorts, or quite simply, just areas with views of the river and the urban landscape that surrounds it. The rest of the pictures and material, I'll leave to you to check out, at Architizer's page linked bellow.

Further reading: 

- http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/hydroelectric-power-station/26528/

- Andy Minchev

WATER HOUSE - LIJIANG, CHINA

Most of the time I write about my own projects, pictures and concepts on my blog, but every once in a while, I come across projects on the internet that inspire me so greatly, that I feel my experience of them grows personal. This time I came across this spectacular house project in China, that excellently integrates a house with local traditional building, while also designing a house that is in perfect harmony with its amazing natural surroundings. (Do note, all pictures and the project itself were found on Architizer). 

As far as I read on the website, this house is built just by the foot of a mountain and overlooks a vast plain on it's other side. The architect of the building (Li Xiaodong Altelier) has masterly used the water pools surrounding the structure to reflect its surroundings, celebrating the magnificent natural surroundings and the vast open sky.

As you can see on the above photo, the reflecting water surface truly creates an absolutely fantastic view and without going too deep into Asian clichés, also a perfect spot for meditation I can imagine! Definitely a place where the mind, body and soul can be in harmony with nature.

The traditional style, as seen above, seems to allow effective natural ventilation, with its open façade. Furthermore, I'm sure the water surrounding the house also allows for great natural cooling during the summer months out in the continental Chinese landscape. These were my comments on the project, I believe the details deserve to be read on Architizer and/or at the architect's website, both links being right below here.

Further reading:

- http://www.lixiaodong.net/en_home.asp

- http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/the-water-house/23660/

- Andy Minchev