The Yas Hotel is one of the main architectural features of the Yas Marina development. Asymptote envisioned an architectural landmark embodying various key influences and inspirations ranging from the aesthetics and forms associated with speed, movement and spectacle, to the artistry and geometries forming the basis of ancient Islamic art and craft traditions.

Of architectural and engineering significance is the main feature of the project’s design, a 217-meter expanse of sweeping, curvilinear forms constructed of steel and 5,800 pivoting diamond-shaped glass panels. This Grid-Shell component affords the building an architecture comprised of an atmospheric-like veil that contains two hotel towers and a link bridge constructed as a monocoque sculpted steel object passing above the Formula 1 track that makes its way through the building complex.

The Grid-Shell visually connects and fuses the entire complex together while producing optical effects and spectral reflections that play against the surrounding sky, sea and desert landscape.

The architecture as a whole “performs” as both an environmentally responsive solution and as an architecture of spectacle and event. The entire jewel-like composition of the project responds visually and tectonically to its environment to create a distinct and powerful sense of place as well as a breathtaking backdrop to the Formula 1 and other events that the building will celebrate.

Additive Fabrication refers to a class of manufacturing process, in a which a part is built by adding layers of materialupon another. The most important constraint for this type of manufacturing would be the cost. When Rapid Prototyping becomes cheaper and more open to the visions of the masses, everyone would be able to develope and design thier own crazy objects. The Result should turn out to be very interesting…

The first image shows Jewelery constructed using 3d printing technology, and titled with names such as lamina, dendrite and radiolaria — take inspiration from organic structures. Many of their pieces are generated from algorithmic processes and even allow you to customize your own pieces of jewelry through their website.  Created by Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenburg — both former students at MIT, who studied in the fields of Architecture, Biology and Mathematics.

The other images show Jewelery created by Joshua Demonte at Philadelphia’s Tyler School of Art — which is presumably when he had free, unlimited access to a rapid prototyping machine. He describes them as jewlery mimic the Architectural Elements, activating the space around the body and alterating the viewers perception of the wearer. In his own words ” my work has replaced the traditional embellishments of jewelery objects with the details of  traditional architectural forms “.

SERIE ARCHITECTS

V-OFFICE
COMPLETION – September 2007
AREA – 5000 sq.mts
DESIGN – Chris Lee and Kapil Gupta.
LINK – www.serie.co.uk/HTML Files/Project/V Office07.html

At present in Mumbai, the proliferation of curtain walls in fast paced, speculative office buildings have reduced the role of the architect to elevation dressers. This phenomenon is blanketing the city with endless uninspired permutations of aluminium frames and glazing; the domain of an architect is confined to a mere 200mm depth. Resisting this tendency, the proposal aims to reinterpret the various components that can possibly make up an elevation whilst maintaining the maximum floor area that can be generated by building to the extent of the site boundary. The proposal imagines a modulated skin; made up of 9 modules, that performs as a series of balconies, storage spaces, sun-shades and window-cabins all moulded into one.

The size of openings of the skin is modulated by the amount of dilation of each of the modules which responds to the position of the façade in relation to the sun and also the program within. The depth of the skin thus is thickened to 2 metres to enable balconies, break-out spaces, private cabins and tiered-seating for an auditorium. On the base of the block, the same primary modules are differentiated to create skylights to basement, outdoor furniture, grass-basins and pavement modules.

If Additive Fabrication becomes cheaper these module could be fabricated on site and assembled for a much faster process for constructing architecture and hence meet the increasing demand for sheltered spaces within the developing cities such as Mumbai, India.