The cover of THE PLAN 144 is dedicated to the Quay Quarter Tower, a skyscraper designed by 3XN in Sydney, Australia. The latest issue, the first for 2023, presents ideas and architecture ranging from homes to residential complexes, from places of worship to museums.
Opening THE PLAN 144 is the editorial, “Striking a Balance between Nature and Culture,” by Dorte Mandrup, founder of the homonymous studio. Mandrup focuses on a highly topical issue: the relationship between the natural and the artificial. In what way should architecture relate to nature? Should it maintain its integrity or find a balance and synergy with nature? Dorte Mandrup tackles the subject through historical examples – some of them famous, such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s House on the Waterfall.
The subject of Michael Webb’s column Highlights is Alison Brooks. He examines a number of projects by her studio, with a particular focus on the Cohen Quadrangle Exeter College, a part of Oxford University in which student accommodation is designed to foster interpersonal relationships and create a warm, familiar environment.
The Viaggio in Italia column, by Valerio Paolo Mosco, looks at the design identity of Degli Esposti Architetti, a Milan-based practice established in 2006. The focus is on Casa Calipso, a building from their portfolio that recalls the rationalism of Milan.
In Luoyang, China, TJAD / Rurban Studio has designed the Sui-Tang Grand Canal Culture Museum. The project reinterprets bridge arches from the Sui dynasty through a contemporary lens.
In America’s Rocky Mountains, MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects has built a timber house with a rounded, aerodynamic shape. A glazed wall along one side offers incredible views of the surrounding mountains.
Still in the States, FIELD Architecture designed the Kol Emeth Synagogue in Palo Alto, a space in which the structure and use of light encourage a spiritual experience.
Waugh Thistleton Architects has designed The Black & White Building in the heart of London, a sustainable, efficient timber building that provides maximum performance with minimum consumption of resources.
The Architecture section closes with the Quay Quarter Tower, designed by 3XN in Sydney. The project involves the transformation of an existing building, which led to the expansion and improvement of the interior spaces. The result is iconic architecture that stands out on the city skyline.
THE PLAN 144 concludes with the Zoom column, which in this issue examines the design of the Cornigliano Civic Center, the result of the transformation of an industrial building in Genoa by Dodi Moss.
THE PLAN 144, the first issue for 2023, presents design ideas for residential complexes, homes, places of worship, towers, and civic centers, from the editorial, “Striking a Balance between Nature and Culture” by Dorte Mandrup, to projects by 3XN... Read More