Architectural Drawing Software: November 2012

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California

Picture of the bridge at sunset as seen from the balcony of small duplex apartment

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Many would agree that San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its geographical position is responsible for having some really charming and inspiring views. We found this amazing duplex apartment where views will make you think you live in the penthouse!

This small duplex residence is located in the highrise building close to the financial district. Contemporary interiors are fulfilled with incredible views on the streets of San Francisco, bridge view and the harbor/bay view. This 3 bedroom and 3 bathroom duplex apartment for sale is worth $ 3,200,000.

Buy this place or take a look at more beautiful apartments for sale.

Picture of city lights and the bay at sunset as seen from the balcony of small duplex apartment

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of small contemporary living room with white sofa and large tv on the blue wall

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of contemporary kitchen with light brown wooden furniture

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of small dining room with wooden table and black chairs

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of contemporary design in the living room with large tv on the wall

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of contemporary bathroom interiors with corner shower cabin and modern sink

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of bright home office with the balcony exit

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of terrace furniture on the balcony with the bay view

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of the bridge during the day as seen from the balcony

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of yellow walls and wooden staircase to the upper floor of duplex

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of large white sofa and yellow walls on the upper level of duplex

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of the contemporary bedroom with large bed and blue wall

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of another modern bathroom with white furniture

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of wooden furniture in the bathroom

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of another contemporary bedroom with the balcony

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of furniture on the upper level of duplex apartment

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of larger shower cabin in the third bathroom

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Picture of two residential skyscrapers where duplex apartment is located

Small Duplex Apartment With Contemporary Interiors And Bridge View, San Francisco, California
© courtesy of Sotheby's International Realty

Architecture: Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan

Picture of new opera house painted all in black

Architecture: Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

This is one of the older projects from Zaha Hadid Architects, but we will bring it up simply because of its power and ability to attract attention. It was a competition entry for Taichung Metropolitan Opera House in Taiwan. Intense curved lines followed with the unusual black color managed to make this piece of modern architecture different from everything around.

This eye-catching project with total of 3000 seats was imagined to be built on two plots, passing above the street which would make it even more dominant in the area. Unfortunately this entry was rejected while Toyo Ito & Associates were chosen with their wining project. Construction is progressing and the new opera house is set to open in 2013.

Picture of new opera house as seen from the front side

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

Picture of new opera house as seen from the extended arm across the street

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

Picture of tall glass wall at the entrance side of the opera house

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

Picture of the entrance side at night as seen from the air

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

Picture of new opera house at night as seen from the air

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

Picture of new opera house as seen from the air

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

Picture of sitting area in the interiors of new opera house

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

Picture of the lobby at the entrance of the new opera house

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

Picture of the entrance as seen from the inside

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects, Taichung, Taiwan
© Zaha Hadid Architects

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Sustainable Development In Canada by Alex Wong

Sustainable development has been growing rapidly in recent years across Canada. As a people, Canadians have always been very ecologically-minded, so a rapid acceptance and embrace of green development only comes naturally. And to that level they have taken the American designed and internationally accepted LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficiency Design) standard and modified it for their own climate and needs. As such, there are some pretty interesting projects popping-up across the country and here’s a list of some of them!

The Centre for Urban Ecology, located on the campus of Humber College in Toronto, is a LEED Gold certified building that combines many ecologically-minded features. Energy-efficient lighting fixtures with occupancy sensors ensure that there are no lights left on needlessly, while rainwater is collected and used for toilets. It is an excellent model of efficient and effective urban construction while maintaining lower costs and a lower overall environmental impact.

Picture of the Centre for urban ecology in Toronto

Centre for urban ecology, Toronto
© courtesy of Humber Arboretum

The Ottawa Convention Centre was designed with a LEED Silver certification in mind, but in actuality, it meets the qualifications for a Gold standard. Rainwater is harvested from the roof for use in toilets, a savings of 969,000 gallons of water. Recycled steel was used for roof trusses, and the building’s unique glass design in the lobby, the curtainwall, lets in natural daylight and keeps indoor air inside, thus leading to a decrease in lighting and heating costs. Even the housekeeping staff maintain green practices by avoiding the use of environmentally-damaging chemicals. Instead, they use electrolysis, ionization, and electroporation to clean the interior.

Picture of the Ottawa convention centre with ice skating field in front of it

Ottawa convention centre
© courtesy of Vstar Lady

The Evolo condominiums on Montreal’s Nun’s Island seek to gain LEED Gold certification, as part of the greater Pointe-Nord ecological community. High-efficiency glass windows and geothermal heating and cooling combine to reduce energy consumption and costs, while lowering environmental impact. A green roof over the underground parking garage enables improved water retention while creating a visually pleasing environment. Evolo’s landscaping uses plants native to the area to reduce the need for pesticides and dependence on potable water. Parks and green spaces are built into the master plan, encouraging people to walk and explore their surroundings.

Rendering of the Evolo condominiums located by the lake and surrounded with green vegetation

Evolo condominiums
© courtesy of Pointe Nord

Another environmentally-conscious building under construction in the Montreal area is McGill University Health Centre’s Glen Campus . Energy efficiency and improved air quality are the main focus of this new facility, designed to meet LEED Silver certification. Healthy lifestyles are encouraged through easy access to bike paths and rakes, walkways, and carpooling initiatives, as well as being close to central bus and metro routes. The hospital believes that sustainable development lends itself to creating a healing environment for patients, while enhancing the workplace for professionals.

Rendering of McGill University Health Centre's Glen Campus at sunset with blue, red and yellow colors on the facade

McGill University Health Centre's Glen Campus
© courtesy of MUHC

In work and at play, people want to live in an environment that is sustainable and efficient, while maintaining the perks of urban life. With new materials and recycling practices, as well as a greater understanding of such practices by people at large, such green buildings are becoming the new norm in our nation’s cities.

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Alex Wong is a freelance writer starting his career-off in writing about the thing he’s most interested in: architecture around the world.

Sustainable Design: Pinewood Library by Sputnik And ABT, Helsinki, Finland

Picture of large open interiors inside of the library made of wood

Sustainable Design: Pinewood Library by Sputnik And ABT, Helsinki, Finland
© Sputnik / Nice Agency

Today we found one quite interesting project in our mailbox. It's one of the rejected entries in the international architectural competition for new public library in Helsinki, Finland. Project is called Pinewood Library, designed by Hank Bultstra from Studio Sputnik. Hank imagined whole building being made of Finnish pinewood, representing high sustainable design.

"The competition entry places a contemporary, down-to-earth public building at the heart of the metropolis, with a strong reference to the Finnish building tradition. The design shows a building entirely made of Finnish pinewood. Not only the structural parts as columns and beams are made of pine, but also the hollow core floorslabs, facade elements and interior walls. Wood is by far the most sustainable construction material. It's relatively light weight and has no carbon emission at the production stage. Besides that, Finnish pinewood is produced around the corner, so no carbon emssions because of long distance transportation either. The pinewood elements can be disassembled. The building's lifecycle follows the cradle-to-cradle principle.

The building has a couple of generic floors and two spectacular atriums, that connect the floors spatially. The heating and air circulation is managed by VRF units at each separate 6 meter grid section. The air ducts are incorporated in the wooden hollow core floor slabs. This gives the building a maximum flexibility for placement of interior walls, without a suspended ceiling. The building is easily adaptable to future needs and change of use. The roof is green. Plants accumulate the rainwater and gradually release it. The facade elements have large windows with shutters. The daylight enters deep into the interior, during the cold nights the shutters can be closed to keep the accumulated heat during the day, inside.

540 projects entered the competition, the Pinewood Library was not amongst the selected 6 projects for the second stage."
-Hank Bultstra

Picture of the wooden library as seen from the lawn across the street

Pinewood Library by Sputnik And ABT, Helsinki, Finland
© Sputnik / Nice Agency

Picture of wooden exterior of the library and people walking towards it

Pinewood Library by Sputnik And ABT, Helsinki, Finland
© Sputnik / Nice Agency

Picture of the wooden library and park in front of it

Pinewood Library by Sputnik And ABT, Helsinki, Finland
© Sputnik / Nice Agency

Picture of wooden staircase in the library

Pinewood Library by Sputnik And ABT, Helsinki, Finland
© Sputnik / Nice Agency

Illustration showing the shape of the library and how sun comes inside

Pinewood Library by Sputnik And ABT, Helsinki, Finland
© Sputnik / Nice Agency

A comic book showing interiors of the wooden library

Pinewood Library by Sputnik And ABT, Helsinki, Finland
© Sputnik / Nice Agency

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Mansions: Dream Home Called Lam House by Nico van der Meulen Architects, Johannesburg, South Africa

Picture of large modern and open living room in the dream home called Lam House

Dream home called Lam House by Nico van der Meulen Architects, Johannesburg, South Africa
© Barry Goldman / David Ross

Whoa! I always get all excited looking at the mansions like this. Nico van der Meulen Architects are definitely one of the best architecture offices when we talk about dream homes. Working with the M Square Lifestyle Design, they remodeled old 1950's home into this luxury modern villa called Lam House.

The house is built on the hills of Johannesburg in South Africa. Old house had pretty nice location, offering almost 300° view of Johannesburg area which was really inspiring start for designing this 3 story dream home.

"The lower ground floor can be reached by the visitors through the driveway that leads to the main entrance. Proceeding up the staircase to the ground floor, one is met with spectacular views of Johannesburg and its surrounds. The ground floor is an open plan living area with the double volume main living room guiding the guests out onto the lanai and pool.

From the kitchen one can give views to both the North and South, while still having direct access to the lanai and dining area. The ground floor living areas were designed around a pool, which is a prominent feature of the house. The spill over detail of this cantilevered pool creates a seamless integration with the views across the city.

From the ground floor one can access the first floor bedroom suites and pyjama lounge. A bridge links opposite sides of the main and family bedroom suites. In all the rooms, the view is maximised thanks to the wrap around balconies."
-Nico van der Meulen Architects

The Lam House is just one of many masterpieces with modern and open floor plan in their portfolio. If you like their style I recommend you to take a look at the Ber House and the Glass House, also beautiful large houses for the category of dream homes.