Category: Architecture

HSBC Building

I’m in the middle of a couple of busy weeks which have seen me in Japan and now Hong Kong and then after the weekend in Budapest I’m off to Las Vegas next week.

It was therefore great that we covered off the work we were doing here a little earlier then planned and I found myself with some down time to walk around Hong Kong.

I first visited Hong Kong in 2008 but we were staying in another part of town far away from the CBD. While I remember seeing the HSBC Building from a taxi cab it was great to actually be right in front of it.

I heard a lot about the Norman Foster designed HSBC building during my time studying architecture. I think from memory it was the most expensive building ever built up to that time.

The structure is certainly impressive when starting upwards at it.

City of London

I’m in the process of moving to Budapest, but before I could apply for my Residence Permit I came close to using up all my visitor days. Rather then head back to NZ I’ve jumped across to the UK which is enough to leave the ‘Schengen Area‘

Somewhat surprisingly the mercury hit 31 degrees which is definitely the hottest I’ve felt in London.

I used the opportunity to walk about the City of London admiring all the new architecture. There are buildings like Llyods which have been here a few decades now, but the skyline is ever changing with a number of new sky scrapers popping up.

ArchiCAD 20 Signature Building

Having been involved with ArchiCAD in New Zealand for over 20 years we’ve come close to seeing a local building featured on the ArchiCAD Box.

This year we finally succeeded and it is awesome to see a great piece of architecture featured on a significant release – ArchiCAD 20

The Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth was designed by Patterson Associates and uses Stainless Steel as the main cladding to reflect (pun intended) the local industries of oil and gas production.

London, at night

I’m currently in our Cadimage Bristol Office, after a few days we had in London. Taking at photos at night is always difficult, but as we walked in the early evening around the old City of London both new and old Architectural Gems stood out.

London is one of my favourite cities to revisit as there are so many places to explore and currently the skyline continues to change. I’m not sure I’d ever want to work there, but a fews days every once in a while is always great.

Mid-winter Malmö

I’ve just got back from a quick visit to Malmö catching up with Magnus Dulke who I first met at a GRAPHISOFT Conference in 2000 or there about and have enjoyed catching up with at subsequent conferences.

I first visited in 2011 and while some of the sights are the same there are a number of new buildings that have been added to the skyline.

We went to the Skybar at the top of one of the newer buildings Malmö Live which gave us a great view of the inner city.

Moody Budapest

I’ve had Christmas in Budapest this year and have been adjusting to the short days that are in contrast to a New Zealand Christmas.

Today we went out to the Castle District and the fog came in while we were visiting an art exhibition.

The architecture around the Castle district is stunning at the best of times but took a very dramatic feel with the fog and lights.

Student Awards 2015

A project combining contemporary digital fabrication techniques with traditional Māori craft methods and design approaches has won James Durcan the 2015 Cadimage Group Student Design Awards.

It’s that time of year again where 12 architecture students from Auckland University, United and Victoria University get prepared and undertake their presentations for the Cadimage Group Student Design Awards .

As with previous years the level of design thinking and presentation levels increased.

This years winner James Duncan of Victoria Wellington had even created his own large format 3d printer that “combined contemporary digital fabrication techniques with traditional Maori craft methods and design approaches”

The project proposes both a building for a Maori community on the Poverty Bay coast and the off-grid technology that will enable its construction. The work is a most impressive fusion of contemporary digital fabrication and indigenous craft culture. It combines digital design, self-taught craft skills, material experimentation and inventive engineering, and was made possible by the author’s personal commitment and the support of the local Ngai Tamanuhuri iwi. The project is the product of huge engagement, and reveals a willingness, on all sides, to learn and collaborate to realise a meaningful outcome.

Judges citation

Tessa Ford of Auckland University and Unitec’s Hannah Broatch received Highly Commended Awards.

I continue to be immensely proud to support these awards – the effort put in by the students is immense – and the results are outstanding.

Cardboard Cathedral

Admittedly I haven’t travelled to Christchurch too regularly following the devastating earthquakes a few years ago. However, today as part of a nation wide series of seminars we’re undertaking I was in Christchurch.

The location of our seminar was ideal for a quick look at the Cardboard Cathedral.

While the cathedral may have sparked a great deal of opinions I found the building exrtemely well thought out. Some very simple forms assembled with clean and crisp details create a building that allows the church to continue functioning while the main Christchurch Cathedral remains in limbo following significant earthquake damage.

Len Lye Centre

New Plymouth didn’t turn the weather on for us but it was great to one of New Zealands latest architectural masterpieces.

The Len Lye Centre adjoins the existing Govett-Brewster Gallery and provides some great spaces to display more of Len’s kenetic sculptures and other works.

The Len Lye Centre, along with a Len Lye Sculpture that doesn’t fit inside !

Designed by Pattterson Associates the building is a sculpture in and of itself, the exterior is absolutely stunning and the concrete interior provides a wonderful contrast.

The level of detailing is some of the best I have seen.

While New Plymouth isn’t on the ‘main road’ between Auckland and Wellington it now sports a piece of World Class Architecture (in amongst many other gems) and is well worth a visit – even in the rain!

Taipei 101

I’m currently in Taipei for GRAPHISOFT’s APPC 2015.

When I first arrived I did what I enjoy doing in all new cities – I went for a walk to orientate myself and help with jet lag etc.

After only 5-10mins Taipei 101 came into view. Having held the record for the tallest building from 2004 – 2010 it is no wonder.

Having taken it in from the outside it was great to see on the conference agenda a tour of the building literally from bottom to top.

Once we got to the top – in double decker high speed elevators which took 37 seconds to reach the top – 1,010 metres per minute of 60.6kmh!

As with all tall buildings they are exposed to high winds and need to employ a dampening system to counter these winds and reduce excessive movement. And what a system:

This 660 tonne suspended steel ball mounted on hydraulic dampers is a tuned mass damper. This massive ball helps reduce the movement of the tower by over 40%. Skyscrapers really are incredible feats of engineering.

Considering Taipei 101 held the record for the tallest building, it comes as no surprise this the biggest TMD ever installed.