Let's take a look at some of the world's latest innovations in architecture and design.
Dramatic new planetarium proposed for Norway
Norwegian design firm Snøhetta has released images of its design for a new planetarium and visitor centre for Norway’s largest astronomical facility.
“Through the design phase, the architects studied simple principles from astronomy. The study inspired the design of the cabins which seemingly orbit around the planetarium, imitating how planets orbit around the Sun, creating a sense of wonder and surprise. [The planetarium’s] sinuous roof is lushly planted with grass, wild heather, blueberry and lingonberry bushes, curling up from the ground. Wrapping around the golden cupola, the living roof functions as a cross between landscape and built structure that visitors can stroll on to gaze up at the starry sky.
“Half-sunken into the ground, the three-story theater emerges from the earth as an orb engraved with constellations, gradually revealing itself as people approach. On its lowest level, below ground, the planetarium dedicates a generous, bowl-shaped space for children to unfold.” – Snøhetta
Village in a church: New open-air chapel for Slovenia's oldest town
Slovenia’s oldest town, Skorba, has received a new village centre designed by local firm Enota. At the centre of the new structure is an open air chapel framed by sloping concrete.
“The first step in defining the space is the siting of the triangular surface of the new square in the centre of the vacant plot. The paved surface, clearly separate from the grassy surroundings, defines the future socialising space. The surface then employs a narrow access path to connect to the road passing by. The central part, created by the section of the geometries of both paved surfaces, is given a slight dip, which shelters the event space from the impacts of the surroundings and directs all users' gazes towards the centre. Next, the volumes of the chapel and the grandstands are raised to create an introverted village square.
“The final device in designing the new village square is the truncation of the raised volumes by means of a uniform plane which creates an impression of a virtual roof and completes the structure's form. The entire structure is made of a uniform material - white concrete. The combination of simple materiality and emphasised volumes creates an attractive spatial element, its appearance sufficiently bold to drown the heterogeneous structure of the surroundings and mark the significance of the area.” - Enota
Lazzarini Design crowdfunding to build city of floating pyramids
Architect Pierpaolo Lazzarini is crowdfunding to support the creation of a floating hotel city filled with modular pyramids. The location for this floating city has yet to be chosen, with each financial contributor being given the opportunity to vote for a location of their choice.
“Inspired from Maya's architecture and partly from a Japanese temple, Waya is a modular floating building. In order to complete the main Waya pyramid, different modules are overlapped on the floating basement, which measures 54m x 54m in its largest module, extending the surface to about 3,000sqm. The basement holds a large entrance for the boats and the reception to access the rooms, by subdividing its height in ten different floors. [The floors have] a total surface of 6,500sqm, and the complete Waya reaches a maximum height of 30 Metres from the waterline.” - Waya
