Foster & Partners - Petronas University of Technology

Note: Article by Guest Blogger

Foster & Partners and Petronas has won one of nine Aga Khan awards for architecture in the Islamic world with its University of Technology Petronas in Malaysia.

The awards, which have been instigated and sponsored by the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims, are presented every three years and have grown in prestige and profile since their inception 30 years ago. The aim of these rich awards is to identify and encourage building concepts that meet the needs and aspirations of Muslim communities.

I visited the university more than five years ago when it was not yet finished. But it was obvious even then that this was a powerful architectural statement. The canopy is as majestic as you can get: taller than the surrounding trees, they were elegantly supported by slender steel columns. Looking at the photos now, you can easily agree with Foster’s senior architect, David Nelson that it “fits discreetly on the site fitting into the contours of the site”. This is cool, crisp modern architecture, but infused with local cultural references and climatic context.

Lord Foster himself said: “If you visit this building, you’ll see that it couldn’t be anywhere else. It is highly evocative of the culture.”

Antonio Gaudi’s Quote

I thought Architects were Kings and Emperors, boy, I was wrong again. According to Antonio Gaudi, some of us are God and Goddess.

A Glimpse Into Your Future

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MCT Home Office

Duality by ART+COM

"Duality". Located on the bank of an artificial pond at the exit of the metro station Osaki. The project deals with the "duality between liquid / solid, real / virtual and water ripples / light waves.

Pedestrians walk over a 6 x 6 meters large LED plane, installed right on the edge of the water. The LEDs are covered with translucent glass diffusing their light. With their steps, the passers-by provoke virtual waves on the LED plane, computed in real-time.

When these waves hit the edge of the pond, they are extended into the water as real ripples. It looks really magical and brought a childish smile to my face with its combination of screen and kinetic technology.

Seagulls

Here’s an interesting use of aluminium louvers and LED technology recently installed at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. The new building, designed by architects Penoyre & Prasad, is illuminated on the south side using RGB color changing LED lighting supplied by Light Projects and Tryka.

The LED lighting illuminates the façade by casting light on the underneath of the freely-placed, folded aluminium louvers, which the designers have nicknamed “seagulls”. The building has an outer glass curtain wall, with the seagulls positioned on a tensioned cable net about 0.75 m away to protect the building from solar gain.