Architects Design Sustainable Places To Fit Into The Environment

Czech architecture firm

Atelier 8000 aren’t new to unique designs that push the boundaries, and the latest evidence of that is their concept building ‘Kezmarska Hut’.

The building was created for an international design competition with the goal of designing a lodge perched high in the Tatra Mountains.

The final result is nothing short of mesmerising, designed as a house that is sustainable in all seasons, with windows on every side of the aluminium surface.

On the inside, warmth is exuded by the cladding of natural wood which juxtaposes the metallic façade. Adding to the appeal is the generous outdoor porch that offers another option for relaxation in rain hail or shine.

The strategy for the building is producing visual lightness, and promoting a feeling of disorientation within viewers. Part of what’s so unique about the building is that it appears to have fallen from the sky, with designboom likening it to a boulder resting among the landscape, with crisp edges and a high peak that allow it to melt into the surrounding mountains.

Kezmarska Hut[/caption]
According to a spokeswoman, the design itself didn’t win, but that hardly seems to be a worry because of the huge amount of attention the design has received across the world.

The cube is intended to host high terrain adventurers throughout the year, and contains an underground floor, with plenty of room in the garage for a snowmobile, as well as a staff entrance, ski storage and drying rooms.

The ground floor has a restaurant and deck, while the first and second floors house the sleeping accommodations. The attic contains further accommodation facilities.

There have been a number of other buildings, designed or nearing construction this year, that aim to fit into their environments, and reflect certain cultural aspects of their surroundings.

 
Sunrise Kempinski Hotel
Located on the bank of Yanqi Lake, about 60 kilometres north of Beijing, China, the 21-storey building opened last month. Shaped like a rising sun, the building was designed by Shanghai-based Huadu Architect Design.

The 97-metre building has 21 floors, with the unique rising sun symbolism being reflective of harmony, unity and infinity, as well as the fast developing economy of China.

Sunrise Kempinski Hotel[/caption]
Additionally, when seen from an angle, the building’s shape resembles a scallop, which is representative of fortune in Chinese culture.

The building’s façade is glass, comprising approximately 10,000 glass panels, which allows the building to reflect the Yanqi Lake at the ground level, Yanshan Mountain at the middle level, and the sky at the topmost level.

Similarly to the Kezmarska Hut, the Sunrise Kepminski was designed with sustainability in mind. The roof is fitted with solar photovoltaic panels. The glass panels feature four layers in order to help reduce energy consumption.

Baltic Sea Art Park
Located in Pârnu, Estonia, the Baltic Sea Art Park, designed by Kilometrezero, is a project structured in three interconnecting, but distinct, parts: park planning, land buildings and floating pavilions.

The park features a number of distinctive structures that are reflective of the culture and history that comes with the Baltic Sea.

On the boundary between the land and water is the ‘Baltic Circle’, an iconic structure that acts as a point of transition, mixing both land and marine programs.

Baltic Sea Art Park[/caption]
On paper, the architecture appears simple, but in person is where you are able to truly appreciate the vertical distortion that is based on the curvature of waves splashing on the shore.

For the Baltic Circle structure, this lifts up one of its edges, allowing for a wall of glass that lets light into the building.

Again, there is a sustainable undercurrent, with the organisation aiming to keep existing trees, and plant new ones. All the while, they are providing a new architectural icon that reflects thousands of years of culture and history.

Church of Knarvik

Reiulf Ramstad Architects’ ‘Community Church of Knarvik’, built on a hillside in Knarvik, Norway, has hosted its inaugural service.

The design for the building won a 2010 competition, featuring angular lines prominently, acting as a loose reference of the geometries of the region’s mountains and fjords.

Church of Knarvik[/caption]
The church has been adapted to the surrounding terrain and dimensioned such that it respects and blends harmoniously into the landscapes vegetation, topography, and spatial quality.

The buildings’ form is borrowed from the traditional Scandinavian stave church, which is a type of timber-framed walled structure that was common in the Middle Ages.

The exterior walls are clad in strips of pine that have been pre-weathered, with the result of a mottled colouring that is reflective of the rural landscape.