The architecture and design blog

The transformation of Presqu’ile de Caen moved a step closer with the announcement that MVRDV will be the chosen masterplanners. Their vision saw gardens from old factories, and an intensification of the urban area to create an attractive city quarter. There will also be a better connection to the sea. Read more

Images: MVRDV.

The masterplan for the renewal of the French town Villeneuve d’Ascq will be designed by MVRDV after they beat off competition from four other practices.

The scheme is distinguished by the massive cantilever of the upper level accommodation over the existing motorway. The idea is that the daring structure flags the town’s renewal and acts as a reference point for the centre itself. Read more

Images: Foster and Partners.

The aspiration to 3d print buildings has been with us for a few years now, but Foster + Partners, working with the European Space Agency, are planning to print a moon base with the technology.

The idea is that an inflatable dome will be landed on the moon in a tubular rocket module. Once the dome is inflated it becomes the support structure over which a protective structure would be printed from Regolith, a material readily found on the moon. The rocket module would remain as the entrance to the base. Read more

Photo: Jiri Havan.

Part of the well known MVRDV Barcode masterplan for Oslo, DNB’s new bank headquarters has recently been completed. The building has 17 unique floors and is described by the architect as “pixelated”. It is planned around small scale working units of 6m x 6m considered by the bank to be the ideal size for a project team. This unit of space also gives the massing of the building volume an opportunity to respond to the varying urban context. Read more