The back of the stage is enclosed acoustically by curved glazed screens.
The award-winning practice has designed an acoustically optimised outdoor performance space, located in Kasprowicza Park, Szczecin, Poland. The brief called for design proposals to maximise the flexibility of the 1976-designed theatre for a variety of performances on the stage, and to add a new roof to enclose both the stage and the audience.
The underside of the roof, which covers the stage and front of auditorium, will enhance and project the natural acoustic for orchestral events. This is achieved by a roof, which is structurally independent of the existing arch, and is formed by a curved truss that serves as the edge beam to a single cable net structure. This net supports a series of inflated fabric roof panels and suspended acoustic reflectors. Two additional trusses span the stage to support the load of the lighting grid.
Jason Flanagan, Design Director at Flanagan Lawrence.
Said Jason Flanagan, “The doubly-curved roof form follows the natural slope of the amphitheatre on the existing hillside to retain the views across the park, and then dramatically lifts over the stage to provide the necessary height for the performance area.”
The back of the stage is enclosed acoustically by curved glazed screens, which offer picturesque views out to Rusalka Lake and create a scenic backdrop to performances. Flanagan Lawrence’s proposal will also up grade the 2,500 seat structure with additional facilities including a box office, bathrooms, a café and a refurbished backstage area. The original structure, including the concrete arch, was designed by Zbigniew Abrahamowicz and opened in 1976.
We know green buildings conserve natural resources, minimize environmental impacts and improve the indoor environment, but do you know it can also positively affect your cognitive performance? A recent study reveals it all.
The study was conducted at the Total Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory at the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Syracuse, New York.
SINGAPORE — Improved indoor environmental quality doubled participants’ scores on cognitive function tests, according to a new study by researchers at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health and the Global Environment, SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University . The study was released in Singapore on December 4, 2015 . Primary support for the study came from United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) and its UTC Climate, Controls & Security business.
“The Impact of Green Buildings on Cognitive Function” study found that employees’ cognitive performance scores averaged 101 per cent higher in green building environments with enhanced ventilation compared to a conventional building environment.
“When it comes to the decision-making ability of green building occupants, intelligence is in the air,” said John Mandyck , United Technologies Chief Sustainability Officer. “We know green buildings conserve natural resources, minimize environmental impacts and improve the indoor environment, but these results show they can also become important human resource tools for all indoor environments where cognitive abilities are critical to productivity, learning and safety.
“The payback for improved indoor environmental quality far outweighs the investment, considering that more than 90 per cent of the costs associated with a building are related to the people who work within it once construction is completed,” he added.
Study participants’ cognitive function was measured daily within the environmentally controlled space at the Total Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory at the Syracuse Center of Excellence.
“The results of this study signal that we should place equal importance on the improved indoor air quality provided by green buildings, not only for health reasons, but also to improve cognitive function and productivity,” said Tan Boon Kuan , group general manager, Carrier Singapore.
The double-blind study evaluated the cognitive performance of 24 participants who experienced conditions in a laboratory setting that simulate those found in conventional and green buildings, as well as green buildings with enhanced ventilation. Researchers measured cognitive function for nine functional domains, including basic, applied and focused activity levels; task orientation; crisis response; information seeking; information usage; breadth of approach; and strategy.
The largest improvements in cognitive function test scores occurred in the areas of crisis response, information usage and strategy.
Crisis response scores were 97 percent higher for the green environment and 131 percent higher for the green environment with enhanced ventilation and lower carbon dioxide levels compared to the conventional environment.
Information usage scores for green and enhanced green environments were 172 and 299 percent higher than in the conventional environment, respectively.
For strategy, green and enhanced green scores were 183 and 288 percent higher than the conventional environment.
Scientists controlled indoor environmental quality to simulate conventional and green building conditions.
The Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard Chan School and SUNY Upstate Medical are launching a second phase of research, which will move from the lab into real buildings across the United States . This research will also be supported by a gift from United Technologies.
Singapore Sports Hub shines in the night. Image courtesy of Arup.
Arup, a multidisciplinary engineering and consulting firm with a reputation for delivering innovative and sustainable designs, was recognised with the highest accolade at the The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Structural Awards 2015 on 13 November 2015.
The Singapore Sports Hub, for which Arup was the structural engineer, won the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence. This is the highest accolade of the ceremony and is given at the judges’ discretion, to the project that has distinguished itself from all submissions in 2015, and for being the finest global example of structural engineering design in the year.
Stunning retracting roof at Singapore Sports Hub in action. Image courtesy of Arup.
The Singapore Sports Hub is home to the world’s largest free-spanning dome of 310 metres, the approximate width of four A380 aeroplanes parked wing to wing. The roof, which covers the 55,000-seat sports stadium, also sets new benchmarks in efficiency of design and material usage, utilising a third of weight of steel normally used in a span of this size.
“It is a rare honour to have worked on and led the design for the Singapore Sports Hub – a fantastic project, with contributions from so many talented people. I am elated with the recognition the project and team have received, and am particularly proud of the work Arup has done on the National Stadium roof. Working under intense pressure, the team delivered exceptional technical work with a brilliant outcome. They pushed the boundaries of technology and thoroughly deserve this recognition,” said Andrew Henry, Project Manager at Arup.
The firm also won in four other categories: the Award for Sports or Leisure Structures, again, for the Singapore Sports Hub; the Award for Arts or Entertainment Structures for the Vegas High Roller in the USA; the Award for Regional Groups for the SSE Hydro in Glasgow; and the Housing for Low-Income Communities project in El Salvador was presented with the Award for Sustainability.
An artist’s rendering depicts The Parisian Macao, slated to open in the second half of 2016. Image courtesy of Sands China Ltd
Standing next to another distinguishable Sands development, The Venetian Macao, the replica Eiffel Tower at the Parisian Macao is set to become both a landmark feature and a popular outlook, offering guests and visitors alike spectacular views of Macau’s bustling Cotai Strip.
The Macau Eiffel Tower, which is half the scale of the original, is a faithful replica of the famed 19th century counterpart in Paris, and retains many decorative features of its Paris cousin, including cornice scrolls, balustrades, gussets plates, lattices, staircases and mesh screens around the observation decks.
Global engineering consultants Aurecon was closely involved in the planning and design for the distinctive new structure. The company provided full structural engineering consultancy on the job, and helped manage the difficulties of maintaining an authentic design while addressing the challenges caused by extreme weather, a congested construction site, and the anticipated high number of visitors.
At the project’s outset, Aurecon provided the drafting of the tower using Revit software, which allowed the team to visually represent the complicated design connections in 3D. This made it easier to detect any potential challenges or clashes that might arise during construction even before building work had begun. As a result, this ensured time-consuming amendments at the shop drawing preparation or fabrication stage were avoided.
“The key to recreating this iconic landmark has been strong team work and the close collaboration between the design and construction teams,” says Dr Alecs Chong, Aurecon’s project leader on the Macau Eiffel Tower. Dr Chong says the close co-operation between the design and construction teams started at the earliest stages of the project, and has delivered efficiency improvements from the beginning.
Among the biggest challenges for the design team was addressing the issue of typhoons, which occur seasonally in Macau. In particular, the design team had to ensure it made the correct critical wind loading calculations for the tower in the event of a direct hit from a typhoon.
“We used the Equivalent Static Wind Loads (ESWL) approach developed for towers to determine the critical wind loads,” says Dr Chong. “We also ran a series of studies to investigate the wind-induced dynamic response at the tower’s top peak at various wind speeds. And we then looked at the subsequent impact on human comfort in terms of potential vibrations. Our thorough investigations and scenario planning allowed the project team to ensure not only an aesthetically pleasing and accurate design, but also a safe one.”
A luffing jib crane facilitated the modular construction method on site. Image courtesy of Aurecon.
A further challenge for the design team was accounting for the very high number of visitors the attraction is likely to draw. In particular, says Dr Chong, they focused on the footbridge that will connect the tower with an adjacent casino complex. Aurecon and its partners also had to contend with how to get the large steel sections needed for the tower’s construction to the job site and, once there, how to assemble them.
“The port of Macau is neither large enough nor deep enough for the vessels that would normally deliver the oversized steel sections needed,” says Dr Chong. “As a result, the job had to request shallow-hulled vessels, but this limited delivery capacity. This, in turn, meant we had to plan the size of the delivery racks, to maximise delivery capacity and minimise delivery costs, which were estimated as being anything up to a quarter of the overall material cost.” And on the job site itself, there was a challenge presented by the selection of the tower crane needed to place the steel and other building materials.
The solution came in the form of a luffing jib crane, which can articulate its jib between the horizontal and near vertical angles. Using such a crane, and fitting it with a shorter jib, meant less of the lifting force was distributed laterally and more was directed down the crane’s mast. With a maximum hoisting capacity of 28 tons, the crane facilitated the modular construction method on site, overseeing the fast and safe installation of building elements.
Overall, says Dr Chong, being involved on the recreation of the Eiffel Tower on the Parisian Macao Integrated Resort has been a hugely challenging yet rewarding venture for the team at Aurecon. Visit www.aurecongroup.com for more.
Cocktail lounge of Bin 38, designed by Alan Barr. Image courtesy of greymatters
greymatters was recently ranked #68 in hospitality design by Interior Design magazine in its annual industry rankings, making it the only Singapore-based firm – and one of the only two firms headquartered in Asia – to make the cut this year.
Alan Barr, founder and Managing Director said, “We are thrilled to be recognized by Interior Design Magazine as being amongst the top design firms in the hospitality sector. It is truly an honour, especially with the increased competition in this industry, hence we will continue to strive to be innovative and creative in our ideas and solutions, in order to push the boundaries for ourselves and our clients.”
The firm, which just celebrated its online casino third anniversary, has various exciting projects in the works, such as its first full hotel project, the Amari Hotel & Resort in Galle, Sri Lanka, followed by W Resort & Spa renovation in the Maldives, Ozo UM City Hotel in Iskandar, Malaysia and more. greymatters is set to expand under the helm of Alan Barr, a prominent designer in the field, and is fast becoming a design force to be reckoned with. Visit the firm’s Facebook page to keep up with its latest projects at www.facebook.com/SuiteGreyMatters.
Artyzen Hospitality Group, the global hotel management company that bridges East and West, has just announced two significant milestones; the entry of the citizenM hotels brand into Asia and the global debut of its Artyzen Habitat brand.
The two new flagship properties are breakthroughs for the Asian hospitality industry and will debut in Shanghai. Slated to open in 2017, citizenM Shanghai Hongqiao and Artyzen Habitat Hongqiao Shanghai, owned by Artyzen Hospitality Group’s parent company Shun Tak Holdings Limited, will be co-located in the upcoming Shanghai MixC integrated project, a prized development of China Resource.
Launched in the Netherlands in 2008, citizenM is a new breed of hotel. It brings affordable luxury to contemporary travellers, the mobile citizen of the world. The brand’s key target cities include capitals and gateway cities – there are now citizenM hotels in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, London, Glasgow, Paris and New York. In Asia Pacific, citizenM Taipei is currently under development and scheduled to open in early 2017.
Mr Rattan Chadha, Chairman of citizen M, says ‘’The introduction of the citizenM to the Asian market is extremely significant for us. CitizenM offers owners and developers substantially higher returns through successful positioning and effective distribution; high profitability due to an efficient operating model that leverages on centralized management, innovative systems and technology; and efficient design that reduces floor area requirements.’’
Brand hallmarks include a Living Room concept for the lobby, catering to the expectations and lifestyles of Mobile Citizens who value connectivity, productivity and stylish design, as well as technology-driven in-room amenities that include a touch-screen MoodPad that controls the lighting, temperature, window shades, alarm and television.
Artyzen Habitat targets both the short stay and extended stay segments and delivers an enriched living experience to corporate warriors, digital nomads and seasoned travellers who want a personalised experience while on the road as well as greater engagement with the social and cultural aspects of the city. Fuelled in part online casino by insights distilled from the Airbnb phenomenon, the development of the Artyzen Habitat brand has focused on delivering personable accommodations that provide a more home-like environment with the living area forming the nucleus of the room, instead of having the room designed around the bed. This concept is probably the first-of-its-kind in Asia.
Public areas of an Artyzen Habitat hotel are active, efficient and social spaces that form the perfect ecosystem for dining, co-working, interacting and relaxing, while generating revenue and buzz at the same time. The result is an optimised multi-revenue stream concept that is modular yet integrated, saves space and ensures maximum utility, flexibility and profitability.
Robbert van der Maas, President of Artyzen Hospitality Group says, “Artyzen Habitat is much more than an inspiring new upscale brand. It is a disruptive innovation that fundamentally transforms the way a hotel is conceptualised and the way it engages its guests. As the name implies, Artyzen Habitat provides that natural home-like environment, a personalised habitat that today’s travellers seek when they are away from their primary abode. Artyzen Habitat also has a built‐in adaptability that ensures its relevance in established gateway cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, and also in emerging cities where its dynamic and flexible use of space can offer crucial additional benefits that traditional hotel models do not.”
In Asia, four Artyzen Habitat hotels are currently under development in Shanghai, Beijing, Hengqin, and Lingang. “Shanghai is one of the most important cities in Asia and establishing our brand presence here first is a key to our Asian regional growth plans,” said Robbert van der Maas. Moving forward, Artyzen Hospitality Group intends to further expand their presence in Asia with cosmopolitan cities such as Beijing, Jakarta, Singapore and Hong Kong.