Norman Foster, (Al Faisaliyah Center)

With its thirty floors and at over two hundred and fifty meters high, Al faisaliah is the tallest building in Rijadh and what characterizes a most obviously its skyline.

The skyscraper, built almost entirely with reinforced concrete, is a collaboration between the studio of Londoner Norman Foster & Partners and society consulting engineers Buro Happold.

The offices, which occupy the thirty floors, join the vast area located on the top level. It is the "globe," the country's highest restaurant, in turn consisting of three floors and enclosed in a great golden sphere of twenty-four meters in diameter.

This building features a pyramid, therefore, the outlook of the Saudi Arabian city, giving the impression of mastering everything that happens below.

The Center is architecture that strongly characterizes the urban landscape while representing the momentum of Riyadh toward modernity.

The skyscraper is part of a larger complex that includes a great space, raised seven meters from the plane of the street, a luxury hotel with more than two hundred rooms, a shopping mall, a mega two hundred thousand parking spaces, and a residential area with about a hundred apartments

SituationAl Faisaliyah Complex is located in the city of Riyadh.
Riyadh, which in Arabic means "The Gardens," is the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, located in the region of Nejd. It is also the provincial capital of Riyadh. It's in the middle of the Arabian Peninsula, in a large plateau surrounded by vast desert and the oasis. The aridity of the major Saudi soil means the water has to be brought, in part, from the sea in the Persian Gulf.
The pyramid structure of the tower will make us more "friendly" if its edges take on a slight curvature.
Although the pyramid was developed mainly in height, it is not without its share of homage to the great pyramids of Egypt. Like the pyramids of Egypt remain in history as the memory of one of the greatest civilizations in history, this new pyramid dominates the city of Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, which is today one of the countries with the most power and international influence, thanks to owning some of the largest oilfields in the world.
No one is spared the large field located on the top floor of the tower in perfect balance, but nevertheless seems to be rolling down to a valley and breath of wind. Figures such as the simple triangle and the circle also had an important meaning in the Egyptian civilization.
At the top, in correspondence with the field, the envelope of cement takes a lighter consistency and cadences, with large openings that offer a wide panoramic view of the city.
The innermost part of the building is occupied with elevators, escalators and technical areas.
On the top floor of the building is the vast area of 24 meters in diameter where the restaurant is distributed over three floorss that make up the interior of the sphere.
Below the plaza is developed, however, a space for a banquet hall, but whose use may change thanks to a structured interior that uses removable and mobile panels. This is an area that can accommodate up to three thousand people, and comes as a huge open space, and that is totally supported by elements in between.

Another element that characterizes it is the course of the facades, whose tapered profile concludes with a marked narrowing, which at the top designs a sharp arc. The horizontal lines that make up the three blocks of the facade are some parapets that protrude from the plane of the facade to protect it from the harsh sun, which impacts during the 12 months of the year in these latitudes.

The square of the tower suffers, therefore, a gradual transformation along the vertical development of the building.

Even if it is seen from the outside, it is inevitable to realize how it is structured in three blocks of nine, ten and eleven floors, separated by one of the other crossbeams that transfer the loads to the pillars of the columns.

To support the weight of this huge building, it was about a structure of reinforced concrete in almost all of the work.

A material that has been used to further façades is the glass that gave the tower its particularly bright and light atmosphere, despite its impressive dimensions; other materials also used are local stone and timber, next to the glass used in a multilayer system.

Carmen Miranda

"Carmen Miranda"

Pot and lid sculpture of Selfridges' Art Collection, London, UK,

by artist Joana Vasconcelos from Lisbon, Portugal.

Photo by Joana Vasconcelos.

Crystal Cathedral

 "Perhaps the first and most famous megachurch was the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, home to the televangelism ministry of the Reverend Robert Schuller. Completed in phases, the main sanctuary was opened for services in 1980.

"Designed by Philip Johnson, this religious reinterpretation of the crystal palace is shaped like a four pointed star. The building is huge, measuring 207 by 415 feet (63 by 125 meters), and rising to a height of 128 feet (40 meters).

"Clad in mirrored glass over a uniform space frame, the design boasts passive solar heating and wind cooling obtained through operable strips of ventilating windows.

"Originally planned to be set in a park-like environment, the building now sits in a parking lot. Portions of the exterior walls open, allowing congregants to remain in their cars while viewing the worship service."

— Douglas R. Hoffman, "From Maybeck To Megachurches", ArchitectureWeek No. 61, 2001.0808, pC1.3.

"The original plan is basically a 4-pointed star, some 460ft by 200ft, reaching up to 128ft at its apex and thus bigger than Notre Dame in Paris. It is constructed with a triodetic steel frame, which serves as a gigantic chimney to provide natural cooling. The chancel, clad in white marble, can accommodate up to 3,000 people. The glass is reflective, allowing only 8 per cent of light and heat to penetrate and giving an atmosphere that has been described as subaqueous."

— Dennis Sharp. Twentieth Century Architecture: a Visual History. p365.

"The architects drew on their considerable experience with crystalline shapes and glass-covered galleries, as well as with auditoriums. The idea is to get people as close to the performance as possible, so, as John Burgee puts it, 'we squished the nave and pulled out the trancept.' Translated into primary geometries, it became a four-pointed star, with free-standing balconies in three points and the chancel in the fourth. The connection with reality is maintained through ten thousand panes of glass hung on a space-frame scaffolding like a gigantic transparent tent. From the outside its quartz-like facets shimmer in one another's mirrored surfaces and reflective pond below. Inside, the mood is hushed, the filtered light lending a cool expectant atmosphere."

— from Nory Miller. Johnson/Burgee: Architecture: The Buildings and Projects of Philip Johnson and John Burgee. p111.

The Creator's Words

"Criticised at the time of opening for offering a view of parked cars, Johnson perfunctorily replied that as people live in their cars all day long why should they be ashamed of them, and queried, 'is God not in the car?' "

— Dennis Sharp. Twentieth Century Architecture: a Visual History. p365.

Details

460ft by 200ft, reaching up to 128ft at its apex.

Australian Interior Design Awards 2013: celebrating a decade of design excellence 2004 - 2013

The entry deadline for the 2013 Australian Interior Design Awards is Friday 1st March.The 2013 presentation of the Australian Interior Design Awards marks a decade of design excellence. The 10 year anniversary will be celebrated in style at the Melbourne's historic Plaza Ballroom, located beneath the Regent Theatre, and will feature a retrospective of past award recipients.
This national awards program is co-presented by the DIA in partnership with Diversified Exhibitions (organiser of DESIGNEX) and Architecture Media (publisher of ARTICHOKE). The DIA manages the judging process to ensure the outcomes reflect the highest standards of professional achievement. DIA members receive a 33% discount on entry fees and winners of state-based DIA Awards (for interior design/decoration) are automatically short listed for the national awards, on re-submission of their project. Awards are offered for all areas of interior design practice including workplace, retail, public, hospitality, installation and residential design, residential decoration, sustainability advancement, excellence and innovation, best of state, best International and emerging interior design practice. The program is self-funding and monies raised are used solely for its delivery.
All submissions are made online at www.australianinteriordesignawards.com. The process is very straight forward, however you should avoid leaving your submission until the last minute, as it can take time to prepare and upload an entry.
There are significant benefits associated with winning a prestigious Australian Interior Design Award, including media coverage secured by the appointment of a publicist. For the last few years, coverage generated has been valued at well over $1 million, and has been achieved on radio and in a wide range of consumer and business titles, including The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The West Australian, Herald Sun, The Courier Mail, Sunday Telegraph, Australian Financial Review, Sun-Herald, Hobart Mercury, Adelaide Advertiser, Artichoke, Architectural Product News, Architecture Australia, Vogue Living, Belle, Monument, DQ, Home Beautiful, Inside Out and House & Garden.
Once again Forbo Flooring Systems and Dulux Australia are supporters of the Australian Interior Design Awards. Both run their own programs for projects that feature either Forbo or Dulux product (respectively) and you may also be eligible to enter these. For more information about these programs visit (www.forbo-flooring.com.au) and (www.dulux.com.au/colourawards). Other generous supporters include The Laminex Group, Smeg, Space, Barrisol and Isis. Their contribution makes it possible to deliver the program.
The Short List for the 2013 Australian Interior Design Awards will be published online on Thursday 28 March, with Commendations and Awards being announced during a gala dinner and celebration on Friday 31 May at Melbourne’s Plaza Ballroom, coinciding with DESIGNEX and the national architecture conference. Tickets for this sell-out event will go on sale in March so make a note to visit www.australianinteriordesignawards.com at a later date.
You’re strongly encouraged to enter our national Awards program. Your support is crucial to its ongoing success. For enquiries, contact the event manager Jacinta Reedy on telephone 03 8699 1000 or email info@australianinteriordesignawards.com.

Mdm Luxury Rooms Guesthouse Hotel

Mdm Luxury Rooms Guesthouse Hotel

the zoom

curiosity on everyday objects has become the most important motif to korean design studio the zoom. from their own angle,
the objects are viewed, enlarged and reinterpreted. these works are known as 'zoom:ing' - where routine objects are turned
into the furniture on the border of design and art. as a result, they have conceived 'zip:per' a series of bookshelves,
chairs and wine racks that incorporate exaggerated zippers to provide humor and added function

ETHEOS

MATERIALI E DIMENSIONI
Etheos è un mobile da bagno che si adatta alle diverse esigenze estetiche e di progettazione dei nostri clienti.
Disponibile in quattro differenti lunghezze (180, 210, 240 e 270 cm) e, su richiesta, con due vasche. Etheos può essere realizzato con l’esterno tutto in marmo e gli interni in legno oppure con frontali e cassetti in legno e top in marmo. Si ha cosi la possibilità di avere abbinamenti sempre raffinati ed eleganti.

UN UNICO PEZZO DI MARMO
Il piano di Etheos è realizzato partendo da un unico blocco di marmo massello di 15 cm che viene sapientemente scavato e poi rifinito a mano in ogni suo minimo dettaglio. Il suo design è studiato in modo da avere sempre proporzioni armoniche ed equilibrate che possano inserirsi elegantemente in ogni progetto.

CASSETTI MOTORIZZATI
Per l’apertura dei nostri cassetti abbiamo utilizzato le migliori e le più avanzate tecnologie presenti sul mercato. Etheos infatti ha un sistema di apertura motorizzato e servo assistito che permette di aprire e richiudere i cassetti con la semplice pressione della mano sul loro frontale. La precisione del sistema messo a punto è millimetrica.

I MIGLIORI MATERIALI
Abbiamo selezionato i marmi più adatti per essere impiegati in un bagno ed i legni più pregiati per avere sempre combinazioni all’altezza delle aspettative.Le possibilità di abbinamento dei due materiali sono molteplici e personalizzabili. Le pietre vengono trattate superficialmente con prodotti di protezione altamente tecnologici, cosi come le diverse essenze dei legni selezionati hanno finiture che ne esaltano le caratteristiche e la bellezza.

UNA SPECCHIERA AD HOC
Per completare il sistema Etheos, ecco la sua specchiera. Nel rispetto del design minimale ed elegante del mobile, abbiamo messo a punto una specchiera che ne ricalca armonia e pulizia formale. Anch’essa realizzata con un sapiente lavoro artigianale, riprende gli stessi materiali nobili e si propone come perfetta compagna del mobile da bagno. I ripiani interni sono realizzati in legno e il fondo in marmo che richiama quello del mobile stesso. Le misure sono quelle proposte per il lavabo.

UN PROGETTO DI ALTO LIVELLO
Il design di Etheos è frutto di una progettazione altamente dettagliata ed innovativa. Tutto il mobile è assemblato con tagli a 45 gradi, sia per il marmo che per il legno. Questo richiede una precisione millimetrica in fase di realizzazione e montaggio. Solo grazie alla maestria dei nostri artigiani questo è possibile. Gli incontri dei due materiali sono curati alla perfezione. I frontali dei cassetti vedono marmo e pietra unirsi come mai si è visto prima.