Month: February 2019

Nestled in a valley north of Beijing, a building will soon be completed that may appear to have always been there, or to have emerged from and grown out of the surrounding stony landscape. OPEN Architects’ Chapel of Sound in Chengde, China was recently recognized in the 66th annual Progressive Architecture (P/A) Awards, chosen as one of ten projects to receive the commendation. The P/A Awards focus on innovative, ongoing work that promotes new ways of thinking about architecture. The Chapel of Sound was noted for its creation of a new, progressive type of environment and its reimagining of an established typology.

If walls could speak, they would have the most stories to tell – stories of antiquity, war, scandal, and reconciliation. Approaches to preservation are as varied as the architects behind them, but many take on the challenge with flair and restraint in equal measure. It is common to see preservation that combines ancient structure with contemporary features, creating beautiful combinations of old and new.

The LAGI 2019 competition offers designers and creatives the opportunity to re-imagine energy infrastructure and demonstrate the beauty of a 100% renewable world. The latest challenge from the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI)—with a 1st Place Prize of $40,000 USD and a 2nd Place Prize of $10,000—invites you to design a work of public art for Masdar City, Abu Dhabi that will contribute clean kilowatt-hours to the city grid while beautifying one of the most important civic spaces in the low-carbon masterplan.

As for this project, the client has requested us to come up with a design that would turn this space to be more than just a normal “Café”. This place shall be more flexible and capable to hold many functions such as a corporate meeting point, a chillax place, a place for an exhibition event where people come and exchange their knowledge.  Moreover, it could become a destination for someone who would wish to restore their health and mind with freshly cooked food that is originated from the café’s own recipe.