GAB Report library
Architecture
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Double Helix Rising
A spiraling, green high-rise designed by Paris-based Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut is currently under construction in Taipei, Taiwan. It’s dynamic and fresh design will add interest to XinYi District’s existing mixture of buildings which range from LEED Platinum EBOM-rated Taipei 101, the world’s tallest green building, to a traditionally Chinese-styled Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall built…
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Size Matters, Along with Good Design and High Performance
On Earth Day, Seattle- and Portland-based construction company Hammer & Hand unveiled the winners of perFORM 2014: A House Design Competition. The competition challenged emerging architecture professionals to fuse high design with high performance building in the design of a single-family house in Seattle that achieves Passive House-like levels of energy performance while being resourceful,…
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Sustainability Around the Bay
The 2014 AIA SF Design Awards Gala last month honored San Francisco Bay Area architecture firms for their work in creativity and bringing positive impact to the built environment. Four projects winning in the Energy + Sustainability Category represent a strong testament to our industry’s commitment in making progress towards building net zero energy buildings. Two…
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California’s First Net Zero Energy Library
Editor’s Foreword: During my college years, I used to swing by the West Berkeley Public Library on University Avenue after shopping at the nearby art stores for my studio projects. I remember its dismal entrance, dim lighting, and run-down furniture squeezed into tight quarters. I’m so excited to learn that it has been replaced with…
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2014 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Project Winners Announced
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have just announced this week their selection of the 2014 Top Ten Green Projects, examples of sustainable architecture and ecological American design projects that protect and enhance the environment. The projects include new and adaptive re-use buildings, ranging from government offices to…
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Toyo Ito Continues to Inspire
Last fall, I had the chance to meet Mr. Toyo Ito up close and personal soon after I toured the Taiwan National Stadium he designed. It was during a press conference held in Taipei New Horizon, his most recent project completed in Taiwan. He was invited by the Fubon Art Foundation to meet the press in the afternoon and give…
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Buildings That Follow the Sun
Can building floor plates rotate in response to sun movement? Sir Richard Branson seems to believe it’s possible. He recently introduced Virgin Buildings, a new generation of ultra-green skyscrapers aimed to positively change the landscape for the environment, architecture, and cities around the world. Sir Branson envisions Virgin Buildings to provide their own food, water,…
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dFab Connects the Digital Fabrication Community
A few years ago at a Green Building Summit convened by Greentech Media and SRI International, I met an interesting fellow named Greg Howes. He talked at a fast pace and was full of ideas. He introduced me to the world of robotic manufacturing and made a strong case for how technology could help us…
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No Border School Project Empowered by Traditional Construction
Editor’s Foreward: Portuguese architects João Guimarães and Miguel Magalhães of Aware Collective have designed No Border School, a 208 square meter modular and sustainable school for Burmese refugee children in Mae Sot, Thailand. The project is awaiting funding and I hope they will be able to realize such a thoughtful project which could have a…
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The Ideal Home Show Tree House
Back in October 2013, Blue Forest, a UK-based tree house design and construction company, was approached by Quiet Mark to design and build an ambitious and extraordinary next-generation tree house as the central feature for London’s Ideal Home Show 2014. After a few months of design and planning, The Quiet Tree House by Quiet Mark…