schmidt hammer lassen architects has won the competition to design the new masterplan and extension of Kolding Hospital in Denmark. The 32,000 m2 extension with a bed ward, an emergency ward and a new main entrance has been designed together with NIRAS, CREO, Balslev and GBL.

“The ambition is to create a complete hospital masterplan with a brand new identity,” said Kim Holst Jensen, Partner at schmidt hammer lassen architects.

Based on a careful analysis of the surrounding landscape, the existing buildings and the infrastructural conditions, the new design relocates the main entrance to the west of the existing hospital. By relocating the main entrance the hospital gets a whole new identity, and the main entrance becomes visible and clear to patients and relatives. At the same time the internal flow of the hospital is maintained and reinforced, while the entire hospital will be perceived as a complete structure where buildings and the nearby surroundings complement each other.

Like most Dutch cities Helmond is busy reinventing itself. The new City Library, which officially opens in October 2010, is the first component of a comprehensive new inner city shopping zone (master plan: Prof. Joan Busquets).

Directly adjacent to the new library are the 1970’s Tree Houses and Theatre by Piet Blom. Here the new library facade is moulded and sloped in dialogue with its dramatic neighbour.
A between space, a block internal café terrace, a comfortable and dramatic extension of the existing enclosed Theatre Square is the result of this spatial symbiosis.

The outer, street-facing facade is the representative face and entrance of the new library. Upper level projections mark the extremities, brackets (ears) carrying large-format 'Bibliotheek' letters. A horizontal facade articulation differentiates ground level shops from glazed and setback first floor (Children’s Library) and the brick surface of the upper office level.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), along with China World Trade Center Co. Ltd., announced yesterday the grand opening of the China World Trade Tower, an 81-story, mixed use building set in Beijing’s Central Business District.

The tower, which was designed by SOM and contains office, meeting, restaurants, and the China World Summit Wing hotel, now stands as Beijing’s tallest structure and marks the completion of the third and most recent phase of the China World Trade Center development. The opening comes in connection with the 20th Anniversary of the China World Trade Center, which originally opened August 30, 1990.

“SOM is proud to take Beijing’s skyline to a new height with the completion of the China World Trade Tower,” said Brian Lee, design architect and partner, SOM, who attended the grand opening ceremony. “The business of China connects to the rest of the world, so we sought a design that further connected Beijing to the China World Trade Center. Not only does the Tower emphatically mark the Central Business District but the development also provides citizens of Beijing with quality buildings and open space for business, shopping, hospitality, culture, education and enjoyment in a high density urbane environment.”

Last week, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority unveiled OMA’s conceptual masterplan for a major new arts district in Hong Kong. Under OMA’s plan – one of three competing proposals – the 40 hectare waterfront site facing Victoria Harbour would become an authentic environment of three urban villages embedded in a new public park, Hong Kong’s largest.

OMA founding partner Rem Koolhaas commented: “Using the village – a typology every citizen of Hong Kong is familiar with – as the model for our plan allows us to absorb the massive scale of WKCD’s ambition into manageable portions and forge deep connections with Kowloon, whose vital urban energy will be the lifeblood of WKCD.”

The new terminal for Stockholm will provide permanent ferry connections to Finland and the Baltics. c for the new urban development Norra Djursgårdsstaden - both architecturally and environmentally. The terminal, which will have a facade covered with expanded mesh, recalls the shape of a moving vessel and the architecture - with large cranes and warehouses - that previously characterized the ports. At the same time, the terminal has an ambitious sustainable profile, characteristic of the entire development.

'Greenway Self-Park' Opens in the River North Neighborhood, Featuring Wind Turbines, Rain Water Collection System and Electric Car Plug-In Stations.


A contradiction in the terms? HOK beleives that even parking garages can be environmentally progressive.


The architectural design firm recently completed Greenway Self-Park, an 11-story energy-efficient parking garage located in the popular River North neighborhood. This structure, which is the first of its kind in Chicago, is currently pursuing LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.