Marina Bay Sands, the most expensive casino in the world located in Sinapore will soon open the world’s first ArtScience Museum. The concept of the “Welcoming Hand of Singapore” features 10 “fingers” of the museum anchored by a unique round base in the middle of the composition. Each finger reveals a different gallery. At the “fingertips” openings were created that illuminate the dramatically curved interior walls. The museum’s dish-like roof channels rainwater through the central atrium of the building creating a 35-meter water drop into a small pool. The rainwater is then recycled for use in the building’s restrooms. The author of the design is the world-renowned architect Moshie Safadie. The ArtScience Museum features 21 gallery spaces totaling 6,000 square meters that will deliver exhibits from art and science, media and technology to design and architecture.

source and photographs: mymodernmet.com.

The Raiffeisen Finanz Center, a project of the studio Pichler & Traupmann which form reminds us of deconstructionism has become a landmark in the city of Eisenstadt, Austria. The design had to respond to all building restrictions that a bank must have as well as the different activities distributed on all floors. The facades have been designed so that the window panes do not disrupt the people from work and at the same time allow a privileged view of the city. On the western and eastern side the building is covered in a metallic façade which is made of ALucobond panels and perforated by window openings. The fully glassed façade on the southern side offers a view of the Wulka river and regulates the sunshine.

source and photographs: abduzeedo.com

A unique mini house by architectural studio LineBox sits on Craven Road in Toronto, Canada. Its name gives away almost everything about it. Mini House is the first modern living space in this part of the city and also proves that quality is not always connected to quantity. The owner chose this place deliberately as he felt something extraordinary about it. The architects tried to turn his ideas of compact, loft living into reality to make his dreams come true. The budget was set to match the cost of owning a comparably sized flat which meant that creativity and resourcefulness were needed in design development. The contractor was also included early on in the conversations and design process so could with his practical ideas modify the project. Inexpensive and recycled materials were salvaged from demolished houses which lowered the costs. Mini house embodies a “hard loft” style with a flexible floor plan and although it is small it feels open and spacious. All the floors are poured concrete, the walls are concrete block or white painted drywall. Natural ventilation and passive solar gain in the winter prove that the house is also environment friendly.

Eden Park is the largest stadium in New Zealand. It is situated in the centre of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. It recently underwent an extensive renovation and modernization led by experienced design firm Populous, transforming the sports park into a world-class venue. Populous, formerly known as HOK Sport, developed the design for the $240 million Eden Park redevelopment project. The new multipurpose stadium Dunedin was built as part of New Zealand’s move to step up its stadium construction programme for the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC). Not only the building itself but also the surroundings were enhanced. Public plazas and concourse providing integrated rail and bus links to the stadium were added. Enhanced landscaping around the perimeter of the park, enlargement of the stand. The roof is made of ETFE pillows allowing for the correct level of UV to reach the turf for optimum growth. The natural grass makes the stadium in Dunedin unique in the whole world. The rectangular pitch stadium of 20,000 permanent seats is expandable to 30,000.

Vo Trong Nghia is a name of a Vietnamese architect who constructed an vaulted bamboo cafeteria dubbed Watter and Wind Café. This architect has studied architecture in Japan, but he comes from a small village in Central Vietnam. This fact was inspiration for his project of unique architecture pieces. This building is only made from a bamboo and other natural materials. The uniqueness of the whole appearance is that this cafeteria looks like a traditional Vietnamese house. Every piece used for the construction was made by using a traditional weaving technique and it is built without any iron nail. This unique construction method shows how universal and strong is bamboo. Bamboo grows very fast and it is going to become the predominant sustainable material. The entire building is 30 inch high surrounded by wild flowers and trees. At the top of the arch are embedded opening that provide the interior with enough of natural light. via worldinteriordesignnetwork.com

New center for production and research of nanocells has been built in Melbourne, Australia. The complex is located close by Monash University campus and Australian Snychtrotron in Clayton, Victoria. The building houses various administrative, production spaces and biology labs. The entire project is designed as three pavilions, each one with a different architecture design that reflects their functions. On the overall surface of 3400 square meters the new multidisciplinary research center provides offices, mobile office spaces and not to forget specialized labs.Woods Bagot has come with 3D steel construction skeleton for the complex. They are a significant element of the whole design providing a unique visual identity shaped as the capital “N”. The game of shapes works also to identify buildings and creates shades for building situated on west. via worldinteriordesignnetwork.com

Aquarium of San Sebastian was situated on the top of Mount Urgli for hundred years, in a popular area of La Concha Bay. The old existing building was suitable not for an aquarium anymore. In the last years a number of new building were created on both sides. While the existing exhibition building was in intensive contact with the sea Hoz Fontan Arquitectos have come with a wise solution. They have linked all existing buildings, so that visitors can pass from one part to another without noticing it. The concept is taking advantage of peripheral components in order to optimize the internal functioning. The complex houses a restaurant that became a heart of the building. These individual buildings have a terrace shape so it communicates with a near-by square where people love to sit down, relax and chat. Architects chose materials that are more conservative. The predominating color of the interior is white, some elements are made from wood but the most of them by glass.

Japanese architects y + M Design Office have recently finished a project of a unique family residence in Japan. The house is unusual for its roof in the shape of stairs. One can access the top of the house from the garden. There are perforations between each pair of stairs that provide the space with enough of natural sunlight. The owners of this unique house is a young couple with their children, twins. The parcel is located right on the coastline. In the winter, strong and cold wind blows and there is not a lot of sunlight comparing to summer period when it is very hot and the building is exposed to direct sunlight. The final design was modified considering the mentioned climate conditions but it is still very original. The entire staircase is made from porcelain tiles that are not hard to maintain. The final appearance is magic, in the night when you are looking inside from the outside, you can see through perforations on the stairs what is going on inside, but it does not affect the privacy of the owners. During the day, on the other hand, the owners have a great view of what is going on outside the house and still keeping their privacy.

HHF Architects have created a new fashion center Labels Berlin 2. At the beginning of the year 2007 they won the competition and in the spring this the fashion center opened its door. This complex houses a series of showrooms of well-known international brands. This exceptional concentration of top brands stores in one fashion center is complemented by public areas, concert hall, restaurants and lounge rooms. The concept of the building was inspired by another fashion center Label Berlin 1 situated just few meters away. The facade of this historical building comprises a series of arched windows. Architects took advantage of this element and it became the key element of the design. Thanks to that they proofed that even a modern building can be embedded in the existing build-up area. The project is unique not as much for its shape or details, but its one of a kind construction. The entire concrete skeleton is perforated by water piping that serves for heating and cooling. The energy consumption was decreased by unbelievable 40%.

The Center for social services has been designed by architect Antonio Blanco Montero and it is located in a Spanish city of Sevilla. The project is based on an idea that a space can heal. This Center for social services should become a place where questions and answers meet, people share their problems and find solutions. The building has a wide range of different functions, starting from administrative parts to psychological consulting. Very unique is an inner atrium – heart of the building taking in two floors. The range of used materials is very interesting and well done. Architects used materials as wood, concrete, stone or glass. The exterior facade catch the eye at first sight, it accentuates the horizontal line of the building, while the interior elements are characterized by vertical manufacturing.