Here at KWA, we stay deep in the trenches of building multifamily housing projects, but we still find the time to stop and smell the roses; well in this case it’s pretty genius craftsmanship that we appreciate.
“Wow, Why Didn’t I Think of That?” is our selection of unique buildings, chosen by our employees, that meet the following criteria:
1) Innovative
2) Inspirational
3) Makes you say, “Wow, why didn’t I think of that?”
The Cross # Tower in Seoul, Korea
This is a building definitely worth tweeting about. Danish architects BIG designed an apartment tower complex that looks like a hashtag. The intricate design of the building uses horizontal and vertical towers that are connected via bridges that have been landscaped and equipped for a variety of activities. To break up the already uniform Seoul skyline, The Cross # Towers serves as a gateway to a more urban community.
Source: Neatorama
ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden
ICEHOTEL is the first hotel built entirely of snow and ice. Over 100 people, mostly artists, come together and construct the hotel in a year-round process.
Each year the architecture and design changes as artists shape the ice, which is harvested from the local Torne River beginning in March. This year, designers Christian Stromqvist and Karl-Johan Ekeroth from PINPIN Studio designed ICEHOTEL with a Frankenstein aesthetic. Guests are able to spend the night starting in December until it begins to melt in mid-April.
Source: Multifamily Executive, Architecism
Bahrain World Trade Center in Manama, Bahrain
The country of Bahrain has been making its mark with interesting and eye-popping developments in the world of green architecture. Not only do we love the maritime look of the building, but we love the energy efficiency of the three wind turbines tying the two sail-shaped towers together.
The towers are shaped differently to help reduce the pressure between the two bridges, which “when combined with an increased wind speed at the higher levels, should provide an equal velocity amongst the turbines. All this will provide for an even greater efficiency in the powering of the generators.”
Source: Inhabitat
Oil Silo Art in Helsinki, Finland
There is something incredibly cool about the adaptive reuse of an old space, especially with an artful twist! Lighting Design Collection, a Madrid-based firm, won 1st prize in an international competition by transforming an unused oil silo in Helsinki into a light-activated civic space.
The structure was perforated with an array of small apertures and embellished with a grid of 1250 LEDs and the interior was painted a deep red. During the day, the silo would glow with hundreds of points of light. “At night, the LEDs will illuminate according to sensors tuned to detect the prevailing winds, mimicking swarms of birds.”
Source: Architect Magazine, Lighting Design Collective
Zayed National Museum in Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Designed by Fosters + Partners, the Zayed National Museum located on Saadiyat Island will be the first museum completed for the island for showcasing the history, culture and more recently, the social and economic transformation of the Emirates.
Although this project isn’t slated to be completed until 2014, we still love the concept. The museum is made up of five towers that protrudes from a man-made, landscaped mound that houses galleries. What is especially noteworthy is that the towers act as thermal chimneys and draw cooling currents through the museum without any need for electricity.
Source: Dezeen