Books are obsolete! Says the new knowledge seeker who learns by barraging themselves with internets. But I learn by turning the page! Says the traditional reader. That’s just it! Mattis Myhra imagines a library of the future where students of all learning disciplines can gather together in education,
(books included.)
Myhra suggests that these two people : the book reader and the, shall we say, modern reader, are divided by lines of age. I suggest otherwise. I’ve got a sister that doesn’t read blogs of any sort – while my mother, on the other hand, has just joined Facebook. We live in a transitional period. Everyone is learning differently.
On to the library!
Myhra’s concept is a building where all people can gather and supply themselves with words! As you’ll read with the examples below, each element combined creates what amounts to a full-blown community center. This place is a giant. Multi-leveled, (as all great libraries should be), ready for the future, and full of possibility.
This library is made to be set in Bjørvika – a harbour in Oslo, Norway. But from what I’m seeing here, it’d be home in many cities around the world.
What would you like to see in your ideal city library?
Designer: Mattis Myhra
This award-winning sustainable airport is a multimodal structure capable of purifying air!
Air travel has taken a backseat this year which has given designers and architects a good amount of time to think of how they can spruce up airports while also making them more sustainable for a better future. Fentress Architects hosted their annual Global Challenge which is a student design competition running since 2011. The Fentress Global Challenge represents the company’s commitment to advancing innovative design in public architecture and attracts young talent from around the world. This year’s winner was The Green Gateway — a zero-emission multimodal airport by Nikhil Bang and Kaushal Tatiya.
The students from Southern California Institute of Architecture transform India’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi into a sustainable and culturally engaging hub that is also capable of purifying the air. The idea was to design a structure that can reduce the environmental impact of air travel while enhancing mobility across New Delhi which is the capital of India and one of the most polluted cities in the world. The Green Gateway proposes a future where airports are more than buildings and let the passengers connect with the site through every element of the structure. The concept has been envisioned for a future where flying cars are the norm and that means a drastic increase in domestic air travel. “As a result, we redesigned the existing terminal as a hub for six air-purifying dual-purpose towers scattered throughout New Delhi. Indoor greenery, an abundance of daylight, and arched architecture visually unite the buildings in this decentralized system,” said Bang and Tatiya.
Using sustainable design strategies to create a zero-emission concept, the structure features a decentralized system of one central terminal and six towers dispersed throughout the city – this will help regulate the purification process evenly throughout the area used by flying vehicles. These towers work as air-purifying centers as well as docking stations for the cars. Now while it may reduce domestic flights, it is increasing the vehicles in the air so to have the impact the designers wish for, the flying cars will have to be zero-emissions too. Elon, are you listening?
Designers: Nikhil Bang and Kaushal Tatiya from the Southern California Institute of Architecture
This micro resort in remote Finland is made from three prefab tiny timber cabins!
We love tiny homes , but you know what’s even better? Tiny hotels ! This tiny hotel is nestled in remote Finland and is made of three prefabricated cabins . Studio Puisto is a Helsinki-based architecture firm that designed a new, modular accommodation that can enable people to open boutique resorts anywhere! Post the pandemic, this is pretty much the dream job that combines social distancing and remote work.
The studio collaborated with nature tourism entrepreneur Kari Vainio and installed the first prototype in the forest of Hyvinkää, Finland. One 1,205-square-foot, U-shaped villa is the core of the layout and consists of two accompanying studio units. All three units come with a keyless check-in system and ready-made furniture. Uni means “dream” in Finnish and it alludes to the dreams that aspiring hospitality entrepreneurs will be able to fulfill their own micro-resorts that won’t require the big capital investment that hotels do. This first Uni Villa even won the title of Best in Finland in 2020! Two courses were designed by Canadian golf course architect Thomas McBroom and are set in the most pristine environment between a natural forest and a lake.
The U-shaped blocks can be delivered via standard truck and are made to sit on a compact foundation. Uni Villa’s dark exteriors feature cross-laminated timber that helps the structure blend into the forest. The cladding is treated with a breathable and ecological dark oil stain that creates uniformity with the environment. The suites are furnished in dark wood and earthy textiles while the studio décor is much lighter in color to give both a distinct spatial personality. The CMF and aesthetic palettes are inspired by the natural world with neutral furniture and gray, stone-like bathroom tiles.
While the architects created a getaway that is the epitome of modern, cozy, and modularity, they also gave importance to sustainability. “Sustainability and a low environmental impact are key values in our design process. These values correlate with the current state of how people want to connect with nature to gain calm,” said the team. Micro resorts and tiny hotels can boost the economy and flexible lifestyle without causing the environmental disruption that comes with constructing big resorts and hotel chaings. The future is all about small and sustainable!
Designer: Studio Puisto
