Archive for the ‘my ninja, please’ Category

The Green City: Jumeirah Gardens

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[Image: Master-plan aerial]

Say what you want about the construction boom in Dubai, but one thing is for certain: this place is the future, but now. Seriously – expect sci-fi movies to be filming there, and for the rest of the world to be playing catch-up for decades. May or may not be a good thing – but its the truth, my ninjas.

Despite the fact that these towers and individual structures are interesting themselves, I’m personally much more interested in the master-plans / urban design coming out of the emirate, as they offer an opportunity to investigate what the 21st century urban fabric truly is / should be [whereas in most other places designers aren't afforded so many liberties, and basically zero context]. These projects also have the funding/space/political backing to be feckin’ HUGE, really creating whole new cities [or in this case, cities within cities] in a rather short amount of time – in contrast to urban design in the US, for instance, which must account more for the existing fabric and history, etc [neither is better or worse necessarily, and AMNP isn't advocating for one or the other - just making a point.].

While the architectural palimpsest of Europe, the US, and parts of China emphasizes the dichotomy that exists between ‘old’ and ‘new’, ‘classic’ and ‘contemporary’, etc., these new large scale projects in Dubai and the U.A.E. [and some in China] leave that conversation behind and look towards the future. I can’t say that I believe that’s better than building an urban area over a longer period of time – hundreds of years, whatever – but it will definitely propel design, planning, and construction [along with all technologies involved] into the 21st century in a serious way. I’m interested in seeing how the international involvement in these projects [in terms of architects/designers anyways] starts to influence the building in other countries, namely the countries of Europe and the U.S.

Moving along, here are images from the proposal for the Jumeirah Gardens master-plan by SOM Chicago and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, with 3 major new towers [each of which you'll see all over the 'net and in all the design rags, I'm sure] by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill.

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[Image: 1 Dubai]

Proposed by Meraas Development, the development will be a mixed-use project ranging from low density all the way to super-high Dubai density [yes, that's a technical term] zones for housing, businesses, retail, leisure, recreation, parks, and anything else they can squeeze into the 95 Billion dollar project.

The centerpiece of the masterplan is a tri-part tower called simply “1 Dubai”, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill. The project is three towers that share a connected base, and are further connected to one another at various heights through sky-bridges. Not to be taken lightly, “1 Dubai” will be one of the tallest buildings in the world at over 2,000 feet – and will house two world-class hotels, office and retail space and some of the world’s highest condominiums and luxury facilities, for a total area of 13 million sq ft.

I mean, just look at how big the sky-bridges are themselves [below]. Ridiculous.

From Smith + Gill:

The development’s unique form is also highly functional: soaring clusters of cables and occupied sky-bridges connect the towers together as they ascend. The towers are designed to the highest environmental and performance standards and will serve as a strong symbol of Dubai’s commitment to sustainability.

A true “city center,” the complex is accessible directly by both land and sea. At the base of the buildings, grand arched entrances allow boats to travel underneath the building and into a central atrium space, an oasis in the center of the development. The atria oasis, open from water to sky, is framed by the three towers and the sky-bridges above. The space has the potential to transform into a premier entertainment venue [via].

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[Image:1 Dubai, suspended bridges]

The other individual project of note being proposed for the ‘Gardens’ is called ‘Park Gate’ [I'm skipping over the '1 Park Avenue' project, as it looks like a fairly typical phallic and curvy tower], and consists of 6 towers that are connected in pairs by large hanging canopies of greenery [images below].

From Smith + Gill:

[The six towers are] arranged to form a grand garden space and create a shaded microclimate unlike any other place in Dubai. The six towers are positioned into pairs linked together by soaring vaulted canopy structures that umbrella the landscape below. The space beneath the canopies is transformed into a verdant grotto. Vegetation is enmeshed with the canopies and exterior balconies of the towers, creating a highly sustainable 360 degree garden. The space acts as an outdoor “great hall”, providing an unparalleled retreat.

Each of the six towers is 30-40 stories. The development includes residential, commercial, retail, hospitality and entertainment spaces [via].

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[Image: Park Gate]

A common thread through all the project, and the  master-plan itself, is sustainability – another aspect of architecture that these project in the UAE are all over. The developer has stated that “green buildings and construction, resource conservation and overall sustainability will inform every aspect of this new district, with tools such as intelligent infrastructure technology and cutting-edge eco design serving to reduce the district’s collective ecological footprint.”

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[Image: Park Gate]

So, book some kind of cruise tickets now for 2020 [the project is underway - but there won't be any cheap airlines left by then, sorry people]. The only thing these ninjas need is some cars that fold into suitcases, and Dubai will be like wherever it was that the Jetsons lived…

.: originally seen over at WAN ->

Posted: October 30th, 2008
at 11:58pm by orangemenace


Categories: architecture, green arch, my ninja, please, towering pagodas, urban/master planning

Comments: 5 comments


Human-Powered Water Pump

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Yup – a human-powered water pump! Because unlike coal, people are a renewable resource [we just keep having babies!]. How’s that for a Modest Proposal?

In all seriousness – is this not really siiick looking? Unfortunately, the design shown really doesn’t have anything to do with anything [not that that makes the aesthetic any less impressive] – the really amazing idea here is that this setup will convert kinetic energy from human foot traffic into usable energy to power underground pumps, which will pump fresh drinking water up to the surface in areas where there are drinking water shortages.

Incredible.

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The project – designed by Gunwook Nam of Seoul, South Korea – was one of three winners of the Re:construct competition sponsored by San Fransisco’s Urban Re:Vision. Here’s the designer’s description:

Human Pump – one step one drop

This structure is adaptable to everywhere, having trouble with water shortage and supply system. All over the world, many countries have trouble with water supply. Almost of countries is worsening desertification and water shortage. Already many cities were covered by sand and these cities will be at a crisis to be vanished. And also we can adapt this structure to contaminated land after flooding disaster because people cannot find clean water. At the country having trouble with water supply, people usually spend their all day finding water or pumping with hands. For these reasons, many children can not go to school. I will suggest Human Pump. If we install this structure on roads that many people usually pass, people will walk through this wood deck structure, children will run and play on this wood playground. And then springs of floor collects shock energy from steps. This energy will be collected and then used by pumping underground water and lifting up deck floor to roof and spraying water out. After school, children just contain water and go to home. Citizens will use this water by farming and drinking. This new invention structure doesn’t need any artificial electronic energy. Only people walks on the structure. It is new self-sufficient invention for future.

.: Check out more images of the proposal here ->

.: The Human Water Pump Harvests Kinetic Energy -> via Inhabitat

Posted: October 22nd, 2008
at 12:23am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture, green arch, my ninja, please, tech

Comments: 1 comment


Work on 1 km Tall Towers!

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Woods Bagot, designers of the proposed 1km tall Nakheel Tower in Dubai are opening a US office!

Woods Bagot, a global architecture and consulting firm employing more than 1,000 professionals worldwide, announced today that it opened its first North American office to service the growing interests of the firm’s international clients.

The San Francisco office expands Woods Bagot’s network of 14 offices currently serving Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The move advances the firm’s “one global studio” strategy, which uses proprietary technology to deliver its international expertise to clients around the world.

“Competing in the global economy requires a different approach, one that is agile and innovative and driven by the best talent worldwide,” said Ross Donaldson, Group Managing Director of Woods Bagot. “The new North American office adds an important link to our knowledge network, tapping into the remarkable design and technological expertise that resides here. We foresee exciting collaborations that will continue to elevate our worldwide presence as an architectural innovator and better serve our clients’ interests in the region.”

Thank the architecture gods – maybe now we’ll get something like this ridiculousness built in the US! Because size matters, my ninjas, and good design does not…

Seriously though – why doesn’t someone just build FLW’s mile-high skyscraper? That thing was nice-looking, anyways. This thing here just looks like some kind of torturous vibrator.

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I wasn’t sure if I was going to take it here, but this was too amusing not to post – a co-worker of mine had this to say of the announcement:

Employment opportunity : Woods Bagot Design

We are looking for those who have high ego and pretentiousness that can only be matched by the size of the towers that we are specialized in.

Qualification : Men. Small genital, less than 1/4″ from the base to its tip (preferably uncircumcised).

Hilarious. All those interested [meeting these criteria], leave a hater-ish reply in the comments.
.: Woods Bagot ->

Posted: October 15th, 2008
at 10:39am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture, featured ninjas, my ninja, please, news, towering pagodas

Comments: 5 comments


The End of Suburbia

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[We hope!]

I snatched this from over at the MNP mainsite – definitely worth checking out, especially since so many of the original pillars holding up the suburbs – the car, the use of gasoline, disposable income, mortgages, credit cards, etc – are so in-flux [to be kind] at the moment.

More on the suburbs on AMNP:

US Suburbia isnt good enough for Americans

LTL Architectects: New Suburbanism

AMA’s suburb eating robots

AMNP’s review of the Suburbanization of New York

::Video Sundays, or VS, is a weekly feature here on AMNP. For more architecture-related videos, click on any Sunday in the sidebar calendar – or on the ‘videos’ category in the ‘archjutsu’ section. Additional videos that have been featured on any of the MNP sites can be found here on our YouTube page. And don’t hesitate to submit suggestions for video features to architecture[at]myninjaplease[dot]com::

Posted: October 12th, 2008
at 12:23pm by orangemenace


Categories: architecture, housing, my ninja, please, suburbs, urban/master planning, videos

Comments: No comments


Posthumously stated, ‘gimme the loot, gimme the loot’

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[Image: Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, via the National Trust For Historic Preservation]

Ned Cramer, editor in chief, writes in the Winter 2008 Product Spec Guide of Architect magazine:

But Johnson and his late partner, the collector David Whitney, left the Glass House estate in less-than-pristine condition. So the trust sent out its brochure…as a wish list of projects that require funding. Each initiative comes with a price tag, from $10,000…to $500,000 toward the purchase of an adjacent parcel of land, to prevent the construction of McMansions that would spoil the view.

This is Connecticut [more specifically Fairfield County] and its normal to see plots of land purchased to be subdivided to fit as many big-ass houses in one area as possible. But if you’re gonna be that much of a prick [knowing full well whose property you are proposing to build next to] I hope that Earl’s karma comes in and kick the crap out of ya. Or at the very least meet the funding amount needed to purchase the land.

.:Check Mr. Cramer’s article ->

Posted: October 6th, 2008
at 11:27am by Dubs


Categories: architecture, my ninja, please

Comments: No comments


H & de M: The Parisian Pyramid

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You know, until pretty recently Herzog & de Meuron were some of my favorite designers – but seriously, WTF guys. First they decide to go all Jenga-like in the NYC [which you can see over at our ninja's site, Arch Daily], stacking a bunch of glas boxes in a not-so-nice [and pretty vague, I hope] arrangement. Then a week or so after that project makes it’s way around these internets, we get this thing: a glass pyramid in Paris. IM Pei must be thrilled.

Now I know what many of you in the know are thinking: they don’t build skyscrapers in Paris. Well, it seems that the 30 year ban on high-rise structures has been lifted – this new project by H & de M should be completed sometime around 2012, and will be the first of 6 newly planned high rise buildings.

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Nicknamed the “Delanoë tower”, after Paris’ Socialist mayor who fought to get new high-rises for the city, the pyramid stands 180m tall [50 storeys] and will sit at the outskirts of the city [damn near the suburbs, apparently]. The program hasn’t been nailed down exactly – but expect retail to run along the lengthy base, energizing the street level. The majority of the tower is currently planned as office space [enough for 5,000 workers], but the developer hasn’t ruled-out adding a hotel component to the program – which would probably have some major impact on the ‘look’ of the building itself.

The base of the tower should host a convention center. Then upstairs, we must find a luxury hotel from 300 to 400 rooms and offices. But the mayor of Paris has also wanted the implantation of businesses, including luxury, style restaurants, including pan, bars, shops. Equipment should also have their place: swimming pool, library, public gardens suspended. The municipality would also present a “museum of world languages.” [translated text from France3.fr]

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So there’s hope for this [probably not for our previously featured Parisian tower] project, as it might be changing/evolving/looking better in the future. That said – unless the drop this ‘pyramid’ business, it’ll continue to earn a ‘My ninjas, PLEASE‘ from us.

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And oh yeah – the ninjas over at BIG want their steez back

.:more over at bd online ->

Posted: October 1st, 2008
at 8:49am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture, featured ninjas, my ninja, please, towering pagodas

Comments: 8 comments


Comic Architecture

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You’ve got to love architecture-themed cartoons, especially when they’re pretty on-point. A co-worker of mine hit me with a link to the above comic from pintday.org [which I had completely forgotten existed, unfortunately], and then I saw the cartoon below in the copy room at work. Great stuff.

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[click the image for larger size]

So builders think we’re pimps? Thats ironic, since I think I’m straight ho-ing myself…

.:more architecture comics -> pintday.org

Posted: September 29th, 2008
at 11:56am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture, my ninja, please

Comments: 4 comments


White House Redux : The Winners

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The winners of the White House Redux competition have been announced, and – along with all the other entries – are being published in a limited edition book. AMNP’s favorite [which we've voted for] was submission #1485: 12 Cautionary Tales for a New World Order, by David Iseri, Jefferson Frost, Justin Kruse and Laura Sperry. The team submitted a book with 12 different proposals / scenarios for a new White House – here is the description they submitted:

12 Cautionary Tales for a New World Order is an homage to the architecture firm Superstudio. Within the book are 12 different visions of what the White House could be, given a multitude of cultural / economic / environmental shifts. We feel the format is an appropriate response to the prompt, as a redesign of today must consider the possibilities of tomorrow. And in true Superstudio form, it is also a test. How many do you wish were true?

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Our favorite was awarded 2nd place by the jury – and 13th [as of the writing of this post] in the popular vote. Which do you think should win the people’s vote?
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Cast your vote here [browse the submissions and chose your favorite] – which will name another winner, and award him/her/them with a cash prize.

.:check out the rest of the submisions over at White House Redux->

Posted: September 25th, 2008
at 7:09am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture, competitions, my ninja, please

Comments: 1 comment


Water Jet Printer

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A co-worker of mine was showing me this yesterday, and its way too cool not to post. Basically, it’s like an ink-jet printer, but with water – and awesomeness.

.: Space Printer, via ->

Posted: September 17th, 2008
at 12:47pm by orangemenace


Categories: architecture, my ninja, please, videos

Comments: 1 comment


The Superstar

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The Superstar: appropriately named because it more than likely thinks too highly of itself, and it’ll get a lot of press without a ton of merit. Looks like the fortress of solitude designers read Bigness while staring at some Lebbeus Woods drawings…[would make a good ninja arithmetic, no?].

Featured as part of the ‘Uneternal City‘ exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Superstar was designed by Beijing-based MAD Architects and is meant to travel from city to city – serving as a contemporary, mobile Chinatown. A self-contained city, the Superstar will house 15,000 people, and contain sports facilities, resorts, drinking water lakes, and digital cemeteries [what's that?]. It will also produce all its own power and food, and recycle all of its waste. How, you ask? It powers itself by consuming raw materials from the surrounding city it is ‘visiting’ at any given time [not unlike these little guys], and then shoots all its waste into space via the central vertical ’spike’.

Well, that may be untrue – but it would be cooler if that was the way it worked…

From MAD:

Superstar: A Mobile China Town is MAD’s response to the redundant and increasingly out-of-date nature of the contemporary Chinatown. Rather than a sloppy patchwork of poor construction and nostalgia, the Superstar is a fully integrated, coherent, and above all modern upgrade of the 20th century Chinatown model. It’s a place to enjoy, to consume Chinese food, quality goods and cultural events; it’s a place to create and to produce, where citizens can use workshops to study, design and realize their ideas.

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.:found via Dezeen->

Posted: September 16th, 2008
at 9:04am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture, green arch, my ninja, please, towering pagodas, urban/master planning

Comments: 4 comments