ALASKAN ENGINEERING

The new building for the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) at the University of Alaska in Anchorage is becoming a cultural icon. ANSEP serves many different indigenous cultures, each with different ideas about appropriate symbolism. The building's final form was based on a shared icon arrived at after an interesting, sometimes arduous, journey.

RED BULL HQ

Visitors ascend from street level by elevator and enter the new Red Bull headquarters via a rooftop reception lobby. This dramatic entry sequence, from a small ground-floor lobby to a grand, rooftop terrace overlooking London's West End, is heightened by views from the terrace down into and through the building.

ESSEX STREET HOUSE

Australian architect Andrew Maynard is bursting with theories. He develops concepts such as "malleable space" into architectural "products" such as a mobile bedroom unit, with the ultimate goal being to transform it into architecture. The process sounds simple enough, but Maynard is the first to acknowledge that such conversions are rarely smooth. "Reality is always getting our floaty idealized concepts dirty, and that is half of the fun."

BOTTANICAL SPA

The Tschuggen Bergoase spa, nestled in the mountains near St. Moritz, Switzerland, takes on a cathedral-like quality. It was designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta who is renowned for his museums and sacred spaces. In contrast to the neighboring Tschuggen Hotel, the spa wears a sleek, timeless design that signals a shift into an interior space of natural quiet.

More Architecture and Design

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by ArchitectureWeek.

Library : more Contemporary Design and Architect Articles

Design Last Week

Design Department Archive