Transylvania Cultural Center / Ioana Mihaela Agachi, Octav S. Olanescu, Anamaria C. Popa & Vlad S. Rusu

Ioana Mihaela Agachi, Octav S. Olanescu, Anamaria C. Popa and Vlad S. Rusu shared with us their first prize entry for the Transylvania Cultural Center. The competition was initiated by the Cluj-Napoca’s city administration to determine the best solution for the design theme for a new Cultural Center which is based on the city’s Cultural Developement Strategy. The new Cultural Center was designed to host a new Philharmonic Hall, offices, restaurants, spaces for performing artists, a building for restoration facilities and different exhibition spaces. More images and their description after the break









The new Transylvania Cultural Center is located to the east of the city, close to the historical center. The area of 13,923 sqm is located to the southern front of the 21 December 1989 Ave. and is limited by an historical building to the north. To the west, there are government buildings and a tall business building. To the east, there is state-owned land occupied by small residential buildings, offices and shops. To the south is Navodari street. Some of the coordinates leading to the proposal were the establishment of appropriate public space and the creation of representative new buildings.








We proposed to organize the new Cultural Center along a new street perpendicular to Navodari Street and to 21 Dec.1989 Avenue.This street serves as an adequate distribution of car traffic and pedestrians. The east-west street orientation also introduces the permanence of the sun throughout the day, as well as the presence of pedestrians that will overcrowd the new cultural artery.






The volumetry of the Cultural Center seeks to include itself in the sinuous motion of Cluj-Napoca’s rooftops. Surprise elements and green gardens contribute to the atmosphere of the top levels’ terraces. The vertical disposal of different layers of space is another reference to tradition.



Architects: PhD Ioana Mihaela Agachi (Technical University Cluj-Napoca), Octav S. Olanescu (Technical University Cluj-Napoca, s82), Anamaria C. Popa (s82), Vlad S. Rusu (Technical University Cluj-Napoca)
Location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Project: Competition to determine the design theme of Transylvania Cultural Center
Year: 2010









Source: Arch Daily

Ocean Imagination / Unsangdong Architects

© Unsangdong Architects

Recently, we shared Unsangdong Architects’ Life & Power Press Cultural Topography,an interesting project that mixed programmatic elements with a crispaesthetic. The architects just shared their proposal for theThematic Pavilion of Yeosu 2012, entitled Ocean Imagination, whichwas awarded honorable mention (check out other proposals previously featured here).
The proposal is an eye-catching proposal combines nature and the imagination in an effort to create the “best use of the infinitepossibility of nature.” More images and more about the competitionentry after the break.





The pavilion allows visitors to experience the ocean’s ecosystems and different exhibits related to “man-made nature.” An ‘Ocean Gate’ takes the culture of the sea shore and shifts it vertically. This move creates a dynamic visual that is a constant reminder to the viewers of nature’s different environments. “It combines ocean ecosystem and architecture in accordance with the main theme of ‘Ocean & Life,” added the architects. Another part of the proposal, the ‘’Sustainable Ocean void space’, is formed by combining flowing water with the ecological environment.



The form’s outer spaces are used as exhibition places and are outfitted with different events such as Water-Valley, Media-Valley, Play-Valley, Green-Valley and so on.





The main exhibition, an ‘Organism of Scenery’, took inspiration from the Korean seasons – in spring, flowers bloom everywhere, in summer, the scenery contains dramatic waterfalls and thick forests, in fall, the leaves on the trees turn yellow and in winter, a blanket of snow lay on the ground.

The model

Total area : 6200m2 Theme Exhibition Area : 2,000㎡ BPA Exhibition Area : 1,600㎡ Height : 100m Chief Designer: YoonGyoo Jang , ChangHoon shin Design team: KyungTae Kim, SungMin Kim, YunSoo Kim, WooYoung Kim, SeungHyun Kang, BongKyun Kim, MeeYoung Lee, HoJin Kim


Source: Arch Daily

Olympic 2012 - Aquatic Centre by Zaha Hadid

Olympic is considered as the biggest sports event in the world. Every eyes all over the world would notice this every-two-year prideful event. In the 2012, London is the official host to celebrate this party.

Zaha Hadid is the Architect who has been chosen to come out with the concept of new place of Olympic 2012 complex, Aquatic Centre.








The concept behind it is following the water form. There is a lot of fluid line there which can be seen obviously most of all the building. Following the purpose of this building which is for a diving pool. She came out with the organic morphology based on the "under water life". As can bee seen from the top of the building there is a wave form there which is suitable with the aesthetic perspective.














The hardest part in designing this building is how to consider the vital things such as access points and Exercise room, changing room, and others part of this building as effective as possible. She also has to think the design that keep the temperature inside in a steady warm point without reducing the grand-look of the building.





Excitingly it would be the best iconic building ever in UK even in Europe. Everyone all over the world can watch the progress of the construction that is estimated will be finished by summer 2011 by using satellite web cam (here). So, people cannot wait for Olympic 2012 and one of the most Luxurious Iconic buildings in the world.

You have to be focus and work very hard. But it is not about working hard without knowing what your aim is! You really have to have a goal. Know what it is that you are trying to find out.
-Zaha Hadid-, Renowned Architect

(written by Slamet Manjaya)