PTW ARCHITECTS – ARUP – CSCEC – CCDI WATER CUBE The Aquatics Center hosted the swimming, diving and Synchronized Swimming events during the Olympics. The Water Cube was specially designed and built by a consortium made up of PTW Architects (an Australian architecture firm), Arup international engineering group, CSCEC (China State Construction Engineering Corporation), and CCDI (China Construction Design International) of Shanghai. Comprising a steel space frame, it is the largest ETFE clad structure in the world with over 100,000 m² of ETFE pillows that are only 0.2 mm (1/125 of an inch) in total thickness. The ETFE cladding allows more light and heat penetration than traditional glass, resulting in a 30% decrease in energy costs. The outer wall is based on the Weaire–Phelan structure, a structure devised from the natural formation of bubbles in soap lather. The complex Weaire–Phelan pattern was developed by slicing through bubbles in soap foam, resulting in more irregular, organic patterns than foam bubble structures proposed earlier by the scientist Kelvin. Using the Weaire–Phelan geometry, the Water Cube’s exterior cladding is made of 4,000 ETFE bubbles, some as large as 9.14 metres (30.0 ft) across, with seven different sizes for the roof and 15 for the walls. The structure had a capacity of 17,000 during the games that is being reduced to 6,000. It also has a total land surface of 65,000 square meters and will cover a total of 32,000 square metres (7.9 acres). Although called the Water Cube, the aquatic center is really a rectangular box (cuboid) – 178 metres (584 ft) square and 31 metres (102 ft) high. Actually it’s  a Water Theme Park

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MORPHOSIS – THOM MAYNE COOPER UNION The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place (Third Avenue and 6th–9th Streets). A new classroom, laboratory, and studio facility designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architecture, with Gruzen Samton as associate architect, was completed in Summer 2009, replacing the aging Hewitt Academic Building at 41 Cooper Square. In contrast to the Foundation Building, the so-named “New Academic Building” is of modern, environmentally “green” design, housing nine above-ground floors and two basements. The structure features unconventional architectural features, including a full-height Grand Atrium, prevalent interior windows, a four-story linear central staircase, and upper-level skyways, which reflect the design intention of inspiring, socially interactive space for students and faculty. In addition, the building’s design allows for up to 75% natural lighting, further reducing energy costs. Other “green” features in the design include servo-controlled external wall panels, which can be swiveled open or closed individually in order to regulate interior light and temperature, as well as motorized drapes on all exterior windows. In 2010, the New Academic Building became the first academic and laboratory structure in New York City to meet Platinum-level LEED standards for energy efficiency. The building was funded largely by alumni donations, materialized in nameplates and other textual recognition throughout the building. BRICK #1 andrea debilio – francisco marmolejo Bio-Mimicry inspiration Sponges Brick #1 first model gh