Tag Archives: tower

Massive Climate-Resilient Tower On An Artificial Dune Can Handle A Once-In-A-Thousand-Year Storm

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This extraordinary structure is known as the Silt. It is designed to be a massive boulder gently rising out of an artificial sand dune. It is designed by ZJA and is inspired by the Belgian coastal landscape. The impressive structure can withstand a harsh beating from nature and can tackle rising seas and extreme storms as well. The structure was first revealed in 2020 and draws inspiration from the Testerep – an island that was located close to the coast of Middelkerke, Belgium in the Middle Ages. As time passed, this island became connected to the mainland through embankments and sea defenses.

Designer: ZJA

The Silt Tower was designed as an initiative to improve and elevate the local defenses from the North Sea in Middlkerk, and its unusual aesthetics have some utility as well. The artificial dune base expands a public square, which provides stunning views of the coastline. The dune-like building accommodates a casino, restaurant, and event space, while the tower hosts hotel rooms.

“The essence of the design lies in the integration of all the significant aspects, from the experience of the public to coastal reinforcement and economic impetus,” said ZJA. “With the once bleak Epernay Square as its center, the sea embankment and coastal defenses are now fused together, and an extensive new experiential landscape has arisen. Underground parking ensures that is a car-free zone, giving full scope to the public space above. The ground level is thus dedicated as a public space. Marram grass, the dune basin, and sand channels leading to the beach give back to Middelkerke the characteristic landscape it holds dear. The climb to the top of the new dune offers breathtaking views and becomes a tourist attraction in its own right,” concluded ZJA.

Essentially, the Silt includes a chunky concrete base with an attractive boulder-like section which includes a glass and concrete tower covered with latticed beams of Accoya engineered wood. The tower section also contains integrated lighting, which allows it to glow like a lovely beacon in the night. It features a massive sea wall and sturdy construction which allows it to deal well with the extreme climatic conditions of the region, including a once-in-a-thousand-year storm.

The post Massive Climate-Resilient Tower On An Artificial Dune Can Handle A Once-In-A-Thousand-Year Storm first appeared on Yanko Design.

Towering speaker gets the party started with 360-degree lights and powerful bass

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The majority of new home speakers coming out these days embrace more minimalist and discreet designs that make them blend with the rest of the room. After all, it’s really their sound that counts more than their appearance, though aesthetics also play an important role when it comes to integrating such devices into your overall interior decor. Of course, there will always be exceptions, including speaker designs that are meant to be seen with their more artistic and elegant appearances. This large and tall speaker, however, is none of those but unabashedly makes its presence known with psychedelic lighting and overwhelming audio output, making it better suited for home parties than a mellow movie night.

Designer: Sony

There’s no escaping how speakers need to be large in order to be really loud, though there are designs that try to get around this physical limitation through tricks and sleights of hand. The new Sony ULT Tower 10 speaker, however, makes no excuses for its size. In fact, it uses its hulking form to its advantage, making sure that partygoers not only feel but also see the power that it holds inside its towering form.

As part of Sony’s new ULT POWER SOUND series, the ULT Tower 10 bears two specially marked buttons that activate bass-related features. One enables deeper, low-frequency bass while the other turns on powerful, punch bass, presuming you can differentiate between these two distinct modes. Either way, the omnidirectional audio coming from this large speaker is more than enough to fill a whole room, ensuring all your guests hear the rumbling music as they dance to the beat.

The Sony ULT Tower 10 is made for parties in more ways than just its powerful output. With 34 different LED light zones, the tall speaker also boasts 360-degree light shows that can synchronize with the music. And given how many people love belting out songs during these parties, the speaker actually comes with a wireless microphone in addition to two other mic inputs. And though it was designed for such music-filled gatherings, the speaker can also connect wirelessly to other sound systems and TVs for an immersive movie-watching experience.

Given its size and power, not to mention its 29kg weight, it’s no surprise that the Sony ULT Tower 10 speaker isn’t something you’ll want to move around a lot, unlike its more portable ULT speaker siblings. It also needs to be plugged in, which limits its outdoor use. Besides, only its top, which houses the physical controls, is splashproof, which is meant to protect it more from accidental beverage spills than a rain shower. Admittedly, this speaker seems to target a very specific and niche market, one that will be willing to spend $1,199.99 for a speaker that’s clearly made to party.

The post Towering speaker gets the party started with 360-degree lights and powerful bass first appeared on Yanko Design.

Tiny Timber Tower Was Airlifted And Tucked Into The Green New Zealand Landscape

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Tucked away in the beautiful native bush of Eastbourne, Wellington, New Zealand is the Karka Tower, an architectural structure that embodies the innovation and evolution of the architecture world. The compact and distinctive structure is designed by Arête Architects and Makers Fabrication and is intended to be an intelligent solution to the difficult terrain, and the client’s brief. The client wanted an additional dwelling on a challenging and steep site, next to his main home. To meet the owner’s requirement, the studio designed a tiny tower-like structure that functions as an annex to the pre-existing home.

Designer: Arête Architects and Makers Fabrication

The studio wanted to maximize the tower’s interior space, as well as its footprint, hence they stacked various modular volumes on top of each other. The volumes are prefabricated off-site from eucalypt rainscreen timber, and then moved to the site. Since it is difficult to access the site, the tower was transported in three parts, using a helicopter. Each volume weighed up to 2425 lb, and the fact that they were airlifted helped to reduce potential environmental impacts.

The Karaka Tower is nestled on a dense forest hillside, and it effortlessly blends with its surroundings, while providing stunning views of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. The tower occupies 97 square feet, and it contains a supplementary bedroom and an art studio. The structure’s interiors remind you of a treehouse accentuated with exposed macrocarpa timber framing. The tiny tower also features a panoramic open-air rooftop terrace, which provides access to uninterrupted views across treetops.

The Karaka Tower has an impressive thermal performance that is optimized for year-round comfort and energy efficiency. It features a comprehensive waterproofing system that is developed with Viking Roofspec, which provides airtightness and thermal insulation. The various modules have a double TPO membrane and a batten system for quick weatherproofing.

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This winding timber lookout tower in Budapest provides 360 degree views of a nature reserve

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The winding and impressive Lookout Tower was designed and constructed to mark the nature reserve of Budapest and Naplás Lake. It was designed by Robert Gutowski Architects and serves as a sculptural beacon for hikers. The imposing timber structure features unique geometry and has a simple yet complex form to it. It is an open-worked sculptural mass with a sophisticated, yet playful appeal to it. It artfully arises from the ground, looking like a natural extension of the natural environment, and gently slithers and twists up to the sky, functioning as a tall and massive tower.

Designer: Robert Gutowski Architects

Visitors can openly enter the tower, and explore the intricate wooden form of it. You can slowly climb up the tower to enjoy and access 360-degree vistas of the stunning landscape, by peeking through the slats or entering the panorama deck at the peak. The architect designed the tower to function as a ‘port of connection’ – between man and nature, earth and sky. It serves as a space for quiet contemplating and introspection, a zone where you can peer out at the unending expanse of land around it. “As we rise from the ground, we get a better view of the outside world, but also of the inside,” said Robert Gutowski. He hopes for the tower to initiate a spiritual experience, one that allows visitors to connect with the surrounding natural environment, as they cherish the views of the nature reserves, the floodplain of the Szilas stream, and the Cinkota Park Forest.

The timber tower has been constructed upon an equilateral triangular plan, attaching its large mass to a concrete base in an interesting configuration. “The 27-meter-high top is a triangle corresponding to the ground plan of the lower level but rotated by 60 degrees. The two horizontal planes are connected by triangular front walls sloping gently inwards and outwards. The edges are formed by wooden beams coming from the summits,” said the studio. The tower is crystalline in nature, which enables it to vary from all angles, and is made up of different resting levels at heights of 6 meters.

The post This winding timber lookout tower in Budapest provides 360 degree views of a nature reserve first appeared on Yanko Design.

Snøhetta transforms alpine ski tower in Austria using modern + reinvented Tyrolean design

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Tucking away in the impassive mountains of Alpbachtal, Austria, and perched 2030 meters above sea level is a panorama room and tower built by Snøhetta. The project was commissioned by the Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau ski resort to celebrate its tenth anniversary. They commissioned Snøhetta to replace an old, out-of-style ski lift with a new chairlift.

Designer: Snøhetta

Snøhetta drew inspiration from the beautiful snow-capped surroundings and alpine building traditions for constructing the tower. Called, ‘Top of Alpbachtal’, the tower is located near the Wiedersberger Horn peak, and the Hornbahn 2000 cable car mountain station. It was designed to function as a landmark that uplifts and elevates the mountain experience of skiers and visitors as well. The imposing tower is connected to a narrow volume that rises thirteen meters above the ground and is clad in locally-crafted shingles.

A panoramic viewing room has been inserted into the tower, and it provides stunning views to not only skiers but summer hikers, snowshoe walkers, and ski tourers. The concrete base of the tower holds a lift control room, which is followed by a public lounge. The viewing room is located on the first floor of the structure. This format was inspired by the traditional parlors of Tyrolean farmhouses, wherein the lower sections would have a wooden wall paneling finish and an open roof similar to agricultural buildings.

The lounge in the tower has been designed in a modern Tyrolean style. It functions as an informal seating area for skiers and visitors to meet up and relax in. The room is marked by wooden seating platforms, giving visitors their own space to unwind in after a long day of skiing. The lounge is sheltered and protected from the wind, and visitors aren’t required to consume anything if they don’t feel like it. Massive panoramic windows provide surreal views of the stunning alpine landscape. The particular structural style was picked as it was suitable for both winters and summers. The peak of the viewing tower provides visitors with 360-degree views of the exquisite alpine scenery. The shingles on the valley station allow the structure to harmoniously merge with the landscape.

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The “most twisted tower in the world” by Aedas is inspired by the Northern Lights

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Aedas unveiled the Dance of Lights office tower in Chongqing, China. Situated in Xingfu Plaza in the Jiangbei District of Chongqing, the mesmerizing structure features two double-curved facades, which draw influence from the Northern Lights. The curved facades give the impression that the building is in fact twisted! It’s considered to be the “most twisted tower in the world”

Designer: Aedas

“The concept of the Dance of Light was proposed to celebrate the achievement to embrace technology by the city of Chongqing,” said Aedas.

Standing tall at 180 meters, the 39-story skyscraper is marked by gentle curves and gridded panels. It was designed to be a ‘landmark building’ in the busy business district where each of the structures is inspired by stars and celestial bodies. And we love how wonderfully Dance of Lights drew inspiration from the Aurora Borealis! Aedas wanted to make the skyscraper as natural, dynamic, and elegant as the lights. And indeed, the refraction of the tower’s reflective glass further captures the essence of light and celebrates it.

The building’s facade was clad in double-curved cold form glass, which lends a very smooth exterior to the structure. The building twists at an angle of almost 8.8 degrees per floor, which is more than 1.5 times of any other skyscraper in the world, hence rightfully making it the “most twisted skyscraper” in the world! They cited a 2016 issue of the CTBUH journal to further claim this. The smooth surface is marked by vertical lines of the gridded panels or mullions which are curved and silver in color (owing to a bright silver PVF2 finish). This ensures that light reflects off the building, giving it different looks and appearances throughout the day from different angles.

“To pursue the concept of the Dance of Light, the design team set their goal to utilize light to define architecture,” said Aedas.”This is a huge challenge and through the creation of two distinctive twists, a curvaceous form is generated that allows natural light to follow the contour of the building to give character and a special signature. By integrating two opposing twists at each end of the building it will present an ever-changing facade to the urban context,” they continued.

34 floors of the building will function as offices, whereas the top five storeys will be utilized as meeting rooms and facilities, or as a “district reception space for guests”.  A block holding restaurants and cafes have been placed at a lower level, next to the building, with a twist on the roof, as an ode to the skyscraper.

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This exquisite aerial tower with 99 floating islands by Sou Fujimoto Architects visualizes our diverse future!

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In the Qianhaiwan district of Shenzhen, China, the winning architectural design for the city’s New City Center Landmark competition has been given to Sou Fujimoto Architects for their floating water tower. Slated for ascent in Qianhai Bay, the new tower will appear almost like a freestanding, cylindrical water fountain. Rising to 268-meters in height, Sou Fujimoto Arhcitects’s tower will feature 99 pillar-like support beams, or “islands,” to carry the tower’s upper horizontal structure. Starting from the bay and moving towards the round upper deck, the pillars of the new tower gradually expand in width and stature to close in on the design’s symbolic ode to “the future of society in the age of diversity.”

Finding the initial inspiration for the ‘99-island’ tower, Sou Fujimoto turned to iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower to develop their own urban monument for the modern age, asking, “What does a new ‘tower’ mean in the 21st Century? How can a tower evolve while continuing to attract attention, as the Eiffel Tower does? And [one] which would face towards the bay?” From afar, the new tower will appear as a single entity, a solid structure, slowly distinguishing itself as a collection of columnar pillars that gradually split upon closer viewing. The illusion of being one solid structure as well as an orchestra of different parts sheds a brighter light on Sou Fujimoto Architects’ initial concept of inhabiting a future during this burgeoning age of diversity.

The new tower’s uppermost plane serves as a viewing platform, doubling as a three-dimensional exhibition space with enough room for both a restaurant and cafe. In addition to the minimal structural support that the pillars provide for the round upper deck, a centralized core bolsters the tower, which is then stabilized with a steel truss system and Kevlar tension cables located around the outer edge of the tower’s base. Constructed primarily from steel, concrete, Kevlar Rope, and carbon fiber, Sou Fujimoto Architects’ design for the New City Center Landmark competition uses structurally sound and unadorned building material to realize a contemporary microcosm of our diverse, complex, and ever-evolving world.

Designer: Sou Fujimoto Architects

Appearing as if it’s suspended from mid-air, the plan for the new tower will feature 99 island-like pillars stemming from the round upper deck to the bay.

The upper deck works as an exhibition space.

From afar, the new tower looks like a freestanding, cylindrical water fountain.

The upper viewing area is meant to appeal to tourists and residents alike as a social hub where new views of the city can be accessed.

A centralized core supports the tower while a peripherally located steel truss system and additional Kevlar tension cables stabilize it.

Inside the tower, tourists can view the bay from below and rise to 268-meters above sea level.

A three-dimensional exhibition space gives tourists space to enjoy all the amenities the new tower has to offer.

A look at how architecture after COVID-19 will openly embrace and integrate the outdoors

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“If we can’t go outdoors, why can’t the outdoors come to us?” It sounds like the kind of question a five-year-old would ask, but dwell a little on that thought and you start realizing it’s quite an intriguing question. In fact, it’s the design brief for ODA’s latest tower designs. These tower designs from ODA Architecture try to blur the boundaries between the outdoors and indoors… they were originally conceived as a way to alter New York’s predominantly glass-and-metal skyline by introducing an aspect of greenery into it, but in a world dealing with COVID-19, they provide a much more important service by allowing us to experience the outdoors without needing to step out.

ODA’s explorations primarily focus on tower designs, in an attempt to bring versatility and a touch of greenery to NY’s overtly boxy and shiny cityscape. Architectural explorations look at residential units with dedicated ‘greenery zones’ that act as areas of social congregation for the building’s residents. Adorned with curvilinear, organic architecture, and interspersed with greenery, these areas give the residents a break from the concrete-jungle-aesthetic of the skyscraper-filled city. They act as areas of reflection and of allowing people to connect with nature and with one another. Designed specifically for the building’s residents, these ‘shared indoor gardens’ even serve as wellness areas, giving people spaces to exercise, meditate, do yoga, and just take a break from being stuck at home… all while being safely within the confines of your building!

Designer: ODA New York

Intel’s 10th-gen desktop CPUs are coming soon, according to a Dell ad

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Intel's 10th-generation "Comet Lake" CPUs appear to be just around the corner to take on AMD's Ryzen chips, according to a new YouTube video from Dell. It show's the company's latest XPS Tower desktop computers equipped with 10th-generation Intel Cor...

OtterBox reveals a portable and stackable wireless charging system

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OtterBox has a solution to limited battery life. Today, the company revealed OtterSpot, its Qi wireless charging power bank, and stackable batteries. The OtterSpot Charging Base looks a bit like a thin hockey puck. It's designed to be stackable, mean...