This video shows an interview with Francine Houben who leads one of The Netherlands most famous architect offices, Mecanoo. The oeuvre of Francine Houben is extremely wide-ranging and includes projects such as universities, libraries, theatres, residential areas, museums and hotels. Houben combines the disciplines of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture to form a unique solution to each situation. She has gained international acclaim for her works and has been praised for her playful and human style. Francine Houben has held important professorships in Holland and abroad, and in 2007 was a visiting professor at Harvard University. From 2002 to 2006 she was the City Architect of the Dutch city Almere. Currently Francine is working on several complex multi functional buildings, including the Wei-wu-ying center for the arts in Taiwan and the library of Birmingham. During the interview, Houben talks about architecture in general and her projects.
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QUOTEL (combination of words: “quote” and “hotel”). Continue reading »
“The Bella Sky Hotel and Conference Center, designed by 3XN Architects, opens next Monday in Copenhagen, becoming one of the largest hotels in Scandinavia. The dramatic twin towers twist and lean as they reach for the sky allowing all of the guests optimal views over the nature park ‘Amager Common’ located nearby. The triangular patterned facade, which may be a little on the wild side, was designed expressly to minimize solar heat gain and maximize energy efficiency.” Continue reading »
Carbon dioxide neutral residential and resort development on a beautiful Azerbaijani Zira Island. Continue reading »
Another massive attempt to tackle the force of gravity. Continue reading »
The world’s highest hotel, Ritz-Carlton, has been opened last week in Hong Kong. Continue reading »
A new eight- story hotel with 125 residential numbers was built in Kyoto, Japan. Industrial designer Fumie Shibata and her team from Design Studio 6 has been working on this innovative and space- saving project for three years. Continue reading »
