WOHA to transform Bangladesh rubbish dump into BRAC University campus

WOHA has revealed its plans to overhaul a polluted wasteland in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to create a public park and facilities for BRAC University.

The BRAC University campus will have a 13-storey building that will feature green walls and a giant photovoltaic roof canopy.

Singapore architecture studio WOHA's aim is to create "a liveable, tropical, and sustainable inner-city campus and public park" that sets a precedent for other cities.

"The new BRAC University will serve as a unique model for new campuses worldwide by upcycling inner city wastelands into social aggregators for the next generation," said WOHA's co-founder Richard Hassell.

"Our goal is to make it among the most inviting, open and inclusive public spaces and a model learning environment for other cities and institutions."

WOHA's plans to transform the rubbish dump into a campus aims to reflect the intentions of BRAC University – a private university run by international development organisation BRAC that aims "to instil in its students a commitment to working towards national development".

Once complete, it will measure approximately 88,000 square metres. Its division into two distinct zones – the building and the park – splits it into public and private areas.

According to WOHA, this is modelled on the Sundarbans, a type of forest found in the region that has separate ecosystems above and below sea level.

The public zone, named the Campus Park, will be landscaped to include a bio-retention pond – a shallow landscaped area designed to treat polluted stormwater runoff – surrounded by native plants.

WOHA will also incorporate an auditorium, a multifunctional hall and a public gallery at the building's base to form "the heart and social nucleus for over 10,000 students and the wider community".

The Campus Park will be sheltered by the Academia zone, BRAC University campus' main building. This will contain the private study spaces and shield the park from Dhaka's hot sun and heavy monsoon rains.

It will be protected by the giant overhanging roof topped by photovoltaic (PV) panels that will shelter a "sky park" at the top of the building, which will host a field, swimming pool and a 200-metre-long running track.

The building will be developed by WOHA with a grid-like structure to ensure rooms are flexible and can be easily expanded or sub-divided, and to maximise cross ventilation and daylight in every classroom.

Much of the building will also be powered by the PV panels, including fans that will help keep the common spaces cool. Cooling will be enhanced by louvres and green walls equivalent to 26,000-square-metres of landscaping on its exterior.

BRAC University campus is slated for completion in 2021, and will be developed by WOHA with Transsolar and Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl.

WOHA is an architecture studio based in Singapore, which was founded by Wong Mun Summ and Hassell in 1994.

Other recent projects by the studio include a pavilion for the Dubai Expo 2020 that will evoke a "lush tropical oasis" and a green community for senior citizens in Singapore that was named World Building of the Year in 2018.

The post WOHA to transform Bangladesh rubbish dump into BRAC University campus appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/3d8R0Dk

Two weeks left to save 20 per cent on Dezeen Awards 2020 entry fees

There are just two weeks left to save 20 per cent on entry fees for Dezeen Awards 2020. Enter your project, product or studio now at just £80 per category.

Dezeen Awards, now in its third year, is the benchmark for international design excellence and the ultimate accolade for architects and designers everywhere.

Entries are open until 2 June with discounted entry fees available until 31 March. Enter now to save 20 per cent.

The most accessible awards programme

Everyone has an equal chance of success since our low entry prices are designed to make Dezeen Awards accessible to everyone.

Companies with less than 10 employees pay just £80 per category entry up until 31 March, with larger companies paying £160.

Between 1 April and 2 June these fees will go up to £100 and £200 respectively.

Eight new project categories

There are 42 categories in total spanning architecture, interiors and design.

New categories this year include landscape project, infrastructure project, restaurant interior, bar interior, large retail interior, small retail interior, architectural lighting design and exhibition design.

You can also enter a studio category for the chance to be named emerging or established studio of the year.

An easy entry process

Dezeen Awards has the simplest, most intuitive entry process of any awards programme.

We'll ask you to submit a short project description of maximum 100 words, a long project description of maximum 500 words and tell us why you should win a Dezeen Award in maximum 500 words.

In addition, you'll have to upload a hero image, a photograph that best represents your project and share up to 10 gallery images, which can include plans and drawings.

Get your work published on Dezeen

Every longlisted, shortlisted and winning entry will be mentioned or published on Dezeen. They will be shared with our huge social media and newsletter audiences, bringing significant recognition to successful entrants.

Winners will also receive a trophy designed by Atelier NL.

Having trouble submitting your entry?

If you have any questions or are having trouble submitting your entry, please email the awards team at awards@dezeen.com.

After the early entry deadline on 31 March, standard entry fees are available before 2 June.

You can also now enter up until the extended deadline of 9 June at an increased fee.

The post Two weeks left to save 20 per cent on Dezeen Awards 2020 entry fees appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/2QmADcN

A nude avatar Lady Gaga graces Paper magazine cover

Belgian artist Frederik Heyman 3D-scanned the naked pop star before placing the computer-generated version in digitally constructed environments.

from It's Nice That https://ift.tt/38VXIJG

Hoy hotel is designed to be a calming refuge at the heart of Paris

TV-free guest suites and an in-house yoga studio are some of the ways that hotelier Charlotte Gomez de Orozco has tried to channel a sense of serenity inside this Parisian hotel, which is decked out in natural hues.

Situated in Paris' ninth arrondissement, Hoy has been designed to be a "true hideaway" from the hustle and bustle of the French capital.

"Hoy's philosophy and purpose is to be a caring and soothing place, a door away from the street dim, for the traveller to reconnect with their energy," explained the hotel's founder, De Orozco.

"The spirit of the place is comforting, simple and allows visitors to slow down and take full advantage of the present moment, without outside distraction."

De Orozco developed the aesthetic of the hotel with the help of Sabrina Goldin and Stéphane Abby, a pair of restaurateurs who already oversee two Parisian eateries.

Together they tried to foster a "feng shui state of mind" in the 22 guest bedrooms. Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice that claims to use flows of energy – otherwise known as "chi" – to harmonise humans with their surrounding environments.

Each of the rooms has therefore been completed with calming eggshell-coloured walls and teal-blue headboards.

Appliances like televisions have been purposefully omitted and instead replaced with stretching bars, which guests can use to limber up. Some of the larger suites also have yoga hammocks suspended from the ceiling.

De Orozco's keen interest in yoga meant she also ensured that a full-scale yoga studio was included in the hotel downstairs.

At this level there is also a restaurant called Mesa, which will exclusively serve plant-based dishes that take culinary inspiration from De Orozco's Franco-Mexican heritage.

Walls here have been hand-rendered with concrete to leave a textured surface, while warm-hued timber has been used to craft dining chairs.

The dining tables also feature veiny stone countertops and a greenery-filled planter is embedded behind a slate-grey seating banquette.

Decoration is provided by a handful of shapely ceramic ornaments and a colourful woven wall hanging.

The restaurant leads off to a couple of more casual dining areas that are centred around communal wooden tables. Richer splashes of colour appear here in the form of terracotta pendant lamps and bench seats with burnt-orange seat cushions.

The hotel also includes a Japanese florist, where bright bouquets are backed by a wall clad in creamy Zellige tiles. These are moulded, cut and glazed by hand, giving each one an irregular but unique finish.

Other hotels in Paris include Le Barn, which opened in 2018. Situated 40 minutes outside the city centre, it takes over a handful of disused 19th-century farm buildings and features rustic interiors developed by design studio Be-poles.

The post Hoy hotel is designed to be a calming refuge at the heart of Paris appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/392MFi8

Uzbekistan-based Hassan Kurbanbaev photographs the places where he feels “calm and well”

With an aim to tell the stories of those in his country, the photographer’s work represents a “new era” for Uzbekistan.

from It's Nice That https://ift.tt/2QjyuhN