Deep History Shrouded in Strong African Symbolism: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington D.C, USA

 “This is more than a functional building to hold content but also a representative building—I felt compelled to find symbolism that would start to make a connection, but symbolism that wasn’t too dogmatic. One that was definitely not familiar immediately but would make you ask questions.”  - Sir David Adjaye 


An Afro-American cultural fusion covered in bronze-coloured latticework reminiscent of celebrated African historical patterns, first proposed over a century ago by black american civil war veterans, and was authorized for construction in 2004 by former U.S. President George W. Bush. The National Museum Of African American History and Culture (also NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian institution museum, and also the first museum to serve as a national commemoration of black history in the United States. The unique idea behind the building which affords it a multi-faceted identity of being a "Monument, Museum and Memorial" was spearheaded by UK based architect Sir David Adjaye. Adjaye alongside Phil Freelon led a four-firm architectural team including: Adjaye Associates, The Freelon Group, Davis Brody Bond and Smith GroupJJR to oversee the building from inception to completion. The museum opened it's doors to the public on September 24, 2016 in a ceremony coordinated by U.S. President Barack Obama.

The National Museum Of African American History and Culture covers five acres and is situated at the last available spot on the National Mall in Washington D.C, USA. The museum is said to be situated close to the site where slaves arrived by boat in early day Washington. A centre for domestic slave trade! The NMAAHC shares it's habitat with several Neo-classically themed buildings and monuments such as the Washington Monument to it's south-west and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, The National Archives and National Gallery of Art, to it's east and far-east respectively. The U.S. White House is located further-north as well as the National Theatre, Church of the Epiphany, Warner Theatre, National Press Club and a host of cafe's, restaurants and parks/gardens. To it's south, the NMAAHC is bordered by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Sidney R.Yates Federal building, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. 

The NMAAHC building design was conceived at a design competition organized by the National Museum for African American History and Culture Council in 2008. The brief was to design a building with five storeys above ground and three storeys below ground. It was to be 33,000 square metres size and to be located on a proposed site of five acres (20,000 square metres). The winning design was to convey the dark story of the early African slave trade and as well, demonstrate an understanding of the Africa-American experience. The building was also required to have the capacity to host events, while projecting a character of optimism, spirituality and joy, and also respecting the origin and views of the Washington monument. 

The design proposal submitted by Freelon Group/Adjaye Associates/Davis Brody Bond was chosen as the priority design of the competition and construction began in late February 2012. Immediately following the ground breaking ceremony which took place on February 22, 2012, in which U.S President Barack Obama was a guest speaker.

The entire facade of the building measures 23225.76 square metres and is clad in bronze-coloured cast aluminium panels that are coated in Polyvinyl Di-fluoride (PVDF). PVDF was chosen for its durability in unfavorable weather conditions, it's colouring property, which conformed to the American Commission of Fine Arts original intent of portraying the "right colour, lustre and warmth". Most importantly, to produce the high quality effect that was needed to visually aggrandize the beautiful poetic effect, highlighted in the original concept. The design pattern on the architectural scrim is the "Corona", a three tiered crown used in Yoruba tradition from West Africa. It was specifically chosen by David Adjaye.

The NMAAHC possesses a structural system that consists of four 40 feet (12.19 metres) rectangular concrete and steel cores each at four corners of the building. These structural cores also enclose major building components and services inclusive of: Vertical transportation (elevators), restrooms and mechanical spaces. Structural support for the building is provided by a steel superstructure that spans between the four cores.

“This story has embedded in it so much complexity that it’s not just about telling that story,” - Sir David Adjaye 

The building which is covers an area of 33,000 square metres has ten stories (five above and five below ground). During the early (excavation) stages of it's construction, it was generally observed that the NMAAHC would have deep foundations - infact the deepest foundations for any museum constructed on the National Mall.  The building's basement is 21 metres deep and houses A theatre dedicated to Oprah Winfrey, a slave history gallery, a contemplative court with cascading water and light streaming from above, and a loading dock as shown below in the building's cross-section.














Other interior spaces in the building include:

• A 6.7 metre high Heritage hall 
• Gift shop
• Education Centre
• Orientation Theatre
• A Culture gallery
• Community Gallery
• A Cafeteria
• Offices located at the top

“Going out into that corridor, into that light-filled space, and then going back into this sort of dark box is an important part of keeping you engaged as you go up the building.”  - Sir David Adjaye

In conclusion, the National Museum for African American History and Culture displays strong African symbolism on the facade and a deep rooted history on the interior. It's collection encompasses close to 37,000 unique objects that cover subjects such as visual and performing Arts, civil rights, religion, family, community, slavery, and segregation.

As you begin your journey from the very bottom (Basement 4), which houses the dark themed History gallery and make your way through the Contemplative court, and from the massive Heritage hall to the fourth floor, where the community gallery is located. You will experience a level of captivation so pure that only few buildings can match. This is because the building is designed to tell a story; a grim and dark one in the beginning (the bottom) which transcends through the building to the top to tell the ultimate story of African prospect, industry, confidence, happiness and optimism. 

As catch your breath and salvage the view of Washington D.C in a gallery drenched with cascading light coming through the Yoruba themed facade, you can't help but wonder about the good men and women who broke their backs, and stayed up day and night to achieve this excellent piece of architectural genius. 

I extend my supersized Kudos to Sir David Adjaye and his team of Architects - Freelon Group, Davis Brody Bond and Smith GroupJJR. And lest I forget, Congratulations Sir David on your conferment of Knighthood by Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. 

I'd say "Job well done!".






Project Size: 33,000 square metres

Project Completion Date: September 2016

Project Location: National Mall, Washington D.C, USA.

Architects: Freelon Group/Adjaye Associates/Davis brody Bond/Smith Group JJR

Sources:

Architectural Record Magazine  (http://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/11964-national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture, http://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/12124-david-adjaye-knighted-by-queen-elizabeth-ii)

Wikipedia Online Encyclopaedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_African_American_History_and_Culture)
     
Google maps 2016



Photo Credits (Top to Bottom)

All Exterior Photos - www.architecturalrecord.com

All Interior Photos - www.architecturalrecord.com, www.wikipedia.org

Photo of labeled Cross-section - www.architecturalrecord.com

Taking a trip to Netherlands? 5 must-see places to visit in Amsterdam

 

Amsterdam is the capital and most populated city in the Kingdom of Netherlands. With a population of 805,166 people, and with water canals traversing the ever-sprawling cosmopolis, Amsterdam is considered the "Venice of Western Europe". Or on the other hand, what the locals don't like to call, the "Jamaica of Europe". The Dutch are known to be immensely creative, open minded and pragmatic, and are also famous for their tolerant attitudes towards topics such as abortion, euthanasia and (soft) drug use. And as a result, Amsterdam plays host to over 3.6 million tourists every year.

An inspiring, compact city with a strong international reputation and progressive attitude, Amsterdam is a true gateway to Europe, thanks to the nearby presence of one of the continent's busiest airports, Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport. Factually, Amsterdam itself houses some of the world's most beautiful works of art, has more canals than Venice, more bridges than Paris, more bars/restaurants/cafes than London, 7,000 historic monuments and scores of ultramodern buildings. Thus making it an ideal destination to intimate yourself on a bit of history, some good international cuisine, breath-taking architecture and immersive culture during your time off.

Illustrated below are 5 must-see places to visit in Amsterdam.


1. Rijksmuseum

At last re-opened after a decade-long renovation, the Rijksmuseum is home to renowned Rembrandts, including The Night Watch, plus a grand company of other Old Masters from Frans Hals and Jan Steen to Ferdinand Bol and Jan Vermeer. Delftware, glittering gold and silver, centuries-old costumes, and furniture fit for royalty all add to the fanfare.
 

2. The EYE

A white, aerodynamic zigzag of a building on Amsterdam’s waterfront, the EYE makes an impressive new home for a world-class film collection, covering the history of the movies from the late 1800s onwards.  Films are shown in their original language; tickets can be purchased only with a credit card (no cash is accepted). The café is also one of the coolest spots to hang out in Amsterdam.

3. Envy Restaurant

A battery of chefs produces some of the most inventive new-Dutch cuisine in town (think smoked pigeon and tempura cherries), in four-bite portions. Go for individual menus, or share five or six dishes in haute-tapas style. Italian charcuterie is a speciality, and the Dutch gourmet sausages are an adventure (lavender as a matching flavour for pork took me pleasantly by surprise.) The light is dim, the décor dark, the clientele fadingly fashionable.

4. De Bijenkorf

De Bijenkorf which translates as ‘The Beehive’, is sometimes billed as ‘Holland’s answer to Harrods, De Bijenkorf is perhaps a notch below the London legend, but it is stylish, offers fun shopping, and is a good one-stop source for major brands and the occasional bargain. Big designer labels all have a presence, there’s a wide range of both men’s and women’s fashion, and the house label produces good-quality garments.

5. De Melkweg

Still going strong since the heady 1970s, when it was at the heart of European counter-culture, the ‘Milky Way’ is a cutting-edge music and performance venue, and hosts wild weekend club nights. The original old dairy building has been expanded with flash new extensions to include a cinema, art gallery and café, hosting everything from Dutch pop via grunge rock and hiphop to contemporary dance. You have to become a member (€4 a month) to get into most events. Booking ahead is recommended for some events - there may be a pre-booking surcharge.

Photo credits in descending order from the top:
 
Map showing Amsterdam - Google Maps (2014)
 
Panoramic view of Amsterdam - www.wikipedia.org
 
Front elevation of Rijksmuseum - www.flickr.com
 
Art enthusiasts viewing a painting on display at Rijksmuseum - www.euro-t-guide.com
 
Evening view of The EYE - docnextnetwork.org
 
Interior view of The EYE - www.flickr.com
 
Bar top view at Envy Restaurant - www.youropi.com
 
Interior view at Envy Restaurant - www.thestylejunkies.com
 
Exterior night photo of De Bijenkorf - www.derkjansen.nl
 
Interior view of De Bijenkorf at busy shopping hours - www.virtualtourist.com
 
Exterior night photo of De Melkweg - www.tenbraswestinga.nl
 
Interior photo taken during a concert at Melkweg - www.twstd.nl

Singapore's new National Stadium: The world's largest domed structure

 

 

Designed by a joint collaboration of Arup, a multinational professional services firm headquartered in London, UK, DP Architects, one of the largest architectural practices in Singapore, and AECOM Technology Corporation, a global provider of professional technical and management support services. The new Singapore National Stadium is the design centrepiece of a new multi-purpose sports complex termed 'Singapore Sports Hub', located on a 35 hectare waterfront site in Kallang, South-east Singapore. Other facilities in the sports complex include: An Aquatic Sports Centre, a Sports Hub Library, Kallang Wave Shopping Mall and a Sports Museum.

Singapore's new national sports stadium claims to sport the world's largest free-spanning dome. Measuring 310-metres across, its roof can be opened or closed to suit the tropical climate. The automated retractable roof of the stadium is made out of a lightweight material called Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a fluorine based plastic, which was the prime material of choice by the stadium's design team for its characteristic high corrosion resistance, and strength over a wide temperature range. It takes approximately 25 minutes for the retractable roof to slide open or close, in automatic response to the tropical climate, thus sheltering the pitch and auditorium from heavy rain, or keeping the space cool in high temperatures.

 

 

The main bowl of the stadium is designed into three pre-configurations to suit any of the post-mentioned scheduled events. The pre- configurations include "Football", "Rugby" and "Cricket". The stadium has a maximum seating capacity of 55,000 for football and rugby, 52,000 for cricket and 50,000 spectators for athletics events. With mechanised and automated retractable seating configurations on the lowest tier, the arena can also host concerts, cultural and other entertainment purposes at any time. It takes approximately 48 hours to reconfigure seating arrangements to suit an upcoming event.

 

The stadium's installed pitch is Desso Grassmaster, a sports playing field surface composed of natural grass combined with artificial fibres. The artificial grass fibres are injected 20 centimetres (7.9 in) deep, and cover about 3% of the surface. While the grass is growing, the roots intertwine with the artificial fibres. The designers claim this anchors the field to create a solid, even structure with good drainage and 'playing comfort'. Some other football stadiums with pitch's in this material include; Stamford Bridge, Arena Corinthians, Emirates Stadium, Amsterdam Arena and Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stadium is fully air-conditioned with a state-of-the-art, energy efficient H.V.A.C. system which is designed to deliver cooled air to every seat in the stadium while utilizing less than 15 per cent of energy as compared to a conventional air-conditioned stadium. Thus, providing every spectator with a cool and comfortable experience to enjoy an event.

 

Commissioned in June 2014, the stadium has already played host to a number of sporting events inclusive of the 2014 World Club 10s Rugby competition. As a prelude to the stadium's opening, a friendly football match was also held in August 2014, between Italian giants Juventus F.C. and a Singapore select side. The national stadium will also play host to the forthcoming 2015 Southeast Asian Games, a Mariah Carey Concert later this month, the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup in November 2014, and the National Day Parade which is scheduled to hold in 2016.

 

With hugely innovative and technologically advanced stadiums being constructed all over the globe, the tradition notion of the stadium as just a "field of play" is quickly transforming to a newer, more novel, modernist notion of being a "mixed-use centre where sporting, as well as other activities, especially entertainment and commercial, take place". And Singapore's new National Stadium is a unique, 21st century testament to this new ideology.

 

To the brilliant design team who conceived this captivating piece of architectural genius, I accord the highest commendation to you!

 

 

Project completion date: June 2014

 

Project Design Architect: Arup Associates

Project Engineering Consultant: Arup
Project Architect of Record: DP Architects
Project M&E Engineers: Arup + Squire Mech

Project Landscape Architects: AECOM

 

 

 

 

Photo credits: www.dezeen.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Liberated Spirit: 'Biomuseo' (Museum of Biodiversity), Panama City, Panama

 

Designed by the Pritzker prize-winning Canadian-American Architect, Frank Gehry, who gained colossal worldwide acclamation after his successful design completion for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. He has since become notorious for his uncommon, abstract architectural style which is globally denoted as the 'Bilbao effect'. Gehry's designs have in a mammoth way, contributed to the economic and cultural revitalization of cities through his iconic, avant-garde and hair-raising architectural superstructures.

Situated on a peninsula of land that juts out from mainland Central America into the Pacific Ocean, the Biomuseo (Museum of Biodiversity) is an abstruse approach to iconic Museum design. The angular building dispenses with traditional architectural lines which could be exceptionally fun, or rather off-putting depending on subjective aesthetic preferences. In a culturally bereft city, with few offerings for tourists who stop over en route to the jungle, mountains, or beaches, hopes were high for creating Panama City’s own Bilbao. Gehry, who is married to a Panamanian, was of course, the cardinal choice for the organizers, who roped the architect into a design conference held in the late 1990s that was focused on the repurposing of land and buildings following the 1999 Canal transfer. Amador, the site of a former U.S. Army base, emerged as a prime spot for a high-profile project. The first foundation for the building was laid on the site in 2006. However, while Gehry's architecture might be what catches visitors first, the museum is not just a novelty of architecture, but was built to tell the story of how the Isthmus of Panama rose from the sea to separate the early ocean in two, forever changing the diversity of the planet.

Erected at a whooping sum of $95 million, the first phase of the building which was commissioned on October 2nd, 2014 is an interpretive centre brandishing the isthmus’s treasure-chest of natural resources and diverse ecosystem through eight galleries (five are open so far). The curves and acute angles of some of these spaces, which flank a central open-air atrium, are needlessly fussy. But they also convey the design’s architectural ambitions. The galleries are each distinct: from a narrow corridor activated by a zigzagging window wall with views to the bay and the distant skyline, to an 'amoeboid' hall, illuminated by a single swooping oculus and home to a menagerie of life-size plaster-cast species of the past and present. The centrepiece is the “Panamarama”, an immersive theatre housed in an orange cube-shaped volume. Immense projections on three walls, as well as the ceiling and glass floor, depict (to the beat of a thumping soundtrack) dramatic footage of the country’s landscapes and wildlife.

The steel canopies take their design cues from to the typical metal roofs of Panamanian and former Canal Zone architecture, and their bright tones are said to be inspired by the 'guacamaya macaw'. The simplistic colours and ostentatious representations on the roof planes are Intended to reflect the effervescent  nature of the Latin American culture.

 

 

Atop the building’s sturdy concrete structure, the roofs collectively form an elegantly jumbled, sculptural form. Sitting alone on a narrow piece of land overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the building, adorned in its fantastical plumage, is a grand gesture. But it has many subtleties too, such as the gentle roll in the café roofline, which echoes the swoop of the Bridge of the Americas at the mouth of the canal in the distance. One of its greatest moments is its soaring, central atrium, which, like the surrounding park, is free to the public. Shaded by the canopies and open on its sides, in the typical fashion of buildings in the tropics, it forms a dynamic public space, cooled and animated by the breezes that cross the causeway as the fierce heat beats down above. Muted reflections of the bright colors brush the unpainted undersides of the metal roof—a subtle but stunning counterpoint to their brash outward appearance.

 

“We took on a task that nobody else had taken on before in Panama, building something of this complexity and quality,” - Architect Frank Gehry's remark on the building.

In a country whose unrestrained growth has been spearheaded principally by a commercial inclination, with little regard for architectural excellence or civic investment, the Biomuseo sets an optimistic tone for future developments. The superstructure which is Architect Gehry's first in Latin America has raised the standard for design and construction to challenging heights, and indeed, rapidly become an architectural icon that emphatically elaborates the social system and cultural values of the people of Panama.

As an Architect, I can sure tell you that the amount of brain power and sheer skill required to accurately design and resolve these complex forms is mind boggling, not to talk of the translation of the building's working drawings into built reality. They had to invent softwares and procedures for transcribing directly from physical models into digital space. A technological marvel which gives me nostalgia from my days as a college freshman. As I reminisce, my then year master defined 'Architecture' as "the translation of the spirit of an epoch into space"...a definition that cannot be better portrayed in any other building in the world, other than this one.

Much respect to you, Architect Frank Gehry (Architectural Icon of the 21st century)


Project Size: 44,000 square feet

Project Completion Date: September 2014

Architect: Gehry Partners — Frank Gehry, principal; Larry Tighe, project partner; Anand Devarajan, project designer; Bill Childers, project architect.




Photo credits in descending order from the top:

Main Entry to the building's central atrium - www.archrecord.construction.com

Aerial photo showing the building's site layout - www.archrecord.construction.com

The building's 'Panamarama' theatre - www.archrecord.construction.com

The Guacamaya Macaw bird, where Gehry drew his inspiration for the roof plane colours - www.bioenciclopedia.com

The contrastingly dull-painted steel members carrying the building's roof structure - www.archrecord.construction.com

Architectural Model of Biomuseo displayed at Architect Gehry's on-going exhibition at Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France - @ogunedoobinna (Instagram)

Design Ingenuity: Villa Kogelhof, Zeeland province, Netherlands

The photo displayed above is the North-East perspective elevation of VIlla Kogelhof, a bold, modernist design approach adopted by Paul de Ruiter Architects, a dutch architectural practice with it's head office in Amsterdam. The superstructure showcases the exceptional dexterity of Dutch high-tech craftsmanship.

In a gravity-defying act of daredevil modernism, the building seemingly floats above the surroundings. It was named after the former 60-acre Kogelhof farm, located in the Dutch Province of Zeeland. In its uncompromising radicalism, this clear, linear house would stand out anywhere, but, among the brick houses and tarred barns dotting this rural part of the Netherlands, it is truly an anomaly. The client, Ton Zwijnenburg, an international potato and onion trader, purchased the land from a local farmer under the auspices of a national restructuring initiative called “red for green” developed for agricultural areas in decline. Through this program, the Dutch government grants one building permit for each 10 acres of land, on the condition that the buyer transform the remaining property into a public nature preserve.

The project's agenda was as ambitious as the concept is simple. Zwijnenburg wanted the house to be a clean, transparent abstract form with no distracting elements, such as windows, on the skin. The architect, Paul de Ruiter, was intent on making the glass box energy neutral. They both managed to get their way in a feat of engineering that, says de Ruiter, “took an hour to think up and six years to execute.”

 

 

 
The 7,700-square-foot house consists of two perpendicular volumes connected by a concrete core with a glazed entrance at grade. One is tucked beneath a 2-foot-deep reflecting pool and houses an office, storage, full bath, and a garage for Zwijnenburg's tractor and four cars. The small water feature, positioned to overlook the larger Z-shaped pond, was added to enhance views from the house as well as to conceal the home's plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. The upper volume, a glazed Vierendeel truss structure, hovers above the ground and accommodates the primary living, dining, and sleeping spaces. The improbable cantilever created by the structural arrangement is buttressed by a V-shaped steel support located 82 feet from the core.

De Ruiter applied a similar sweeping approach to the interior of this home for a family of four that includes two teenagers, and it is every bit as cool and collected (that is, maniacally tidy) inside as it is outside. By his own admission, Zwijnenburg is neurotic about cleaning up and organizing. “Even my cars are organized by size and color,” he says. Interestingly, he selected de Ruiter for the project on the basis of an underground parking garage the architect had designed in Rotterdam. “I've always been fascinated by functional, minimalist architecture, especially in America,” Zwijnenburg says. “I like big open spaces with no clutter.”

 

 

The rooms upstairs are delineated according to the structural bays. The master bedroom is at one end, followed by its bath suite and an internal open-air patio, accessible from both the master bath and living room beyond—a scheme that maintains an uninterrupted curtain wall. The kitchen, dining area, and children's rooms align to complete the floor plan. Modern classics by the likes of Eileen Gray and Le Corbusier constitute the home's sparse furnishings.

The aesthetic does not compromise the architect's goal to build a net zero–ready house, however. To that end de Ruiter is employing both active and passive means. The facade is made of dual-glazed low-iron, low-E glass insulated with Argon gas. The 11-foot-tall glass panels, fastened with U-shaped clips to a steel frame on the building's exterior, slip past the 9-foot-high curtain-wall opening and seem to disappear beyond the floor and ceiling edges, erasing the line between indoors and out, like an infinity pool. Sunshades, seven inches behind the glazing, provide an additional air barrier, aided by a dedicated ventilation system that draws solar heat buildup outside. Meanwhile, a heat pump maintains comfortable temperatures throughout the year, and will get a boost during winter months from a soon-to-be-installed freestanding stove fueled by wood pellets—to be produced from the trees on the property (when they mature).

A work in progress, Villa Kogelhof is not yet producing as much energy as it consumes. Photovoltaic panels on the roof currently meet some of its demands. But the house won't be fully net zero until these are supplemented by the installation of a wind turbine, planned for the near future.
Such apparent independence can be deceiving. Surrounded by a surreal landscape that is at once wild and calculated, private and public, Zwijnenburg muses that there are times at the Villa Kogelhof when, “One is able to cherish the illusion that you are the only person in the world.”

From this side of the continent, I boldly affirm a supersized applause to Paul de Ruiter Architects. They have successful carved a niche for themselves on the global architecture front, and Architects across the globe are looking to see more heart-stopping architectural designs come to life from your practice.

Project Completion Date: January 2013

Size: 7,700 square feet

Cost: $3.5 million

Architect: Paul de Ruiter Architects




Photo credits: www.archrecord.construction.com

Upcoming Construction: Pluit City Island 1, Jakarta, Indonesia

World class, adroit Architectural Designers and proficiently skilled Urban Master Planners, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill need no formal introduction, or as the English man would say, 'Their reputation precedes them'.

The Picture depicted above is yet again, another brainchild from the technically advanced and globally recognised American architectural firm. It is SOM's master plan proposal for Pluit City Island. The two islands will be constructed on 450 hectares of land which will be reclaimed off the north coast of Jakarta, Indonesia and creates the first phase of a unique "archipelago" city district to be constructed in the historic Jakarta Bay. They offer an affordable solution to providing for Jakarta's swiftly swelling population, while helping to deliver a defense against rising sea levels and severe storm surges that threaten millions of the city's residents.

Pluit City Island 1 is a proposed 160 hectare reclaimed island in Jakarta Bay North of the historic town centre, for a population of 70,000 residents. The project comprises of a masterplan by SOM with Shop Houses (Ruko), Shopping plaza, office towers, apartment blocks and beach houses. The open spaces are a prominent factor in developing a rich lifestyle and green place to live for the residents of Jakarta. 

A large central park, 90,000 sqm ‘stitches’ together the soft green western edge with the harder urban western edge and provides an opportunity to for a contemporary park not only for the Island, but for Jakarta. In addition, the development provides a number of community parks, with play areas, club houses, swimming pools and sporting areas. Plazas with extensive and dynamic shade structures are provided for markets, food stalls and weekend events.

With 6,000 metres of waterfront, the treatment of the edge is a major part of the design of the island. SOM utilized this transition between land and water as recreational linear parks, with bicycle circuits, plazas for cafes, and methods to drawing people close to the water edge. An innovative approach to extend the use of existing Mangroves is proposed.

The global architecture community eagerly awaits the culmination of this breath-taking design showpiece. Pluit City Island 1 will transform the cityscape of the historic Jakarta bay into an eye-appealing, technologically advanced and world-class destination for tourists as well. These marked improvements will not only contribute substantially to the cultural and economic prosperity of Jakarta cosmopolis, but also add to the overall infrastructural development of Indonesia as a whole.

What can I say, SOM...You have done it again!



Photo credits: @skidmoreowingsmerrill (kindly follow them on Instagram)