Google adds hotel sustainability info to search results, a biophilic skyscraper is completed in Singapore, and two Cornell professors push the boundaries of 3D-printed buildings. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Greenery-filled skyscraper rises in Singapore
Photo courtesy of BIG
The teams at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Carlo Ratti Associati have completed a biophilic high-rise building in Singapore’s financial district. At more than 980 feet tall, the 51-story CapitaSpring is among the city’s tallest structures and it houses more than 80,000 plants—translating to more than 90,000 square feet of landscaped area. “Our design seeks to continue Singapore’s pioneering vertical urbanism with [this] tall, diverse neighborhood of places to work, live, and play inside as well as outside,” says BIG founding partner Bjarke Ingels. “Due to the unique character of Singapore’s urbanism—both extremely dense and green—we decided to make the design a vertical exploration of tropical urbanism. At grade, the street is closed to form a new linear park and public plaza.”
Next on the menu: Weed drinks
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Cannabis cocktails are the latest trend gaining traction in the beverage world. According to an article by the New York Times, while these drinks—which contain THC, the intoxicating substance in cannabis (not to be confused with those on the market that have traces of CBD)—are becoming more popular, not enough research has been done by medical professionals to determine whether or not they’re safe. Factors like the potential to consume too much and the unpredictability of the high are two things health experts are raising concern about. However, companies like Pabst already have canned cannabis drinks available for purchase, and they’re promoted as healthier—even hangover-free—alternatives to alcohol. And the THC-infused libations may be exactly what sober-curious Gen Z is looking for.
Sustainability measures forge ahead
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British architect Norman Foster will launch a set of “principles for sustainable and inclusive urban design and architecture,” written by the United Nations, next month for architects to sign and uphold. Dubbed the San Marino Declaration, the standards require architects to design cities and buildings “in a way that limits the use of energy, uses only sustainable energy sources, reuses rainwater, and limits the use of other natural resources,” reports Dezeen. Further, Google has committed to displaying sustainability and health measures among its hotel search results. According to CNET, the newly added feature will include information about the property’s energy efficiency, recycling programs, and more.
Construction begins on the U.S.’s first multistory 3D-printed structure
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Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic, two assistant professors at Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP), designed what will become the U.S.’s first multistory 3D-printed building. According to Archinect, the two-story, single-family home is currently under construction in Houston and, once completed, will include three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a two-car garage, and a 40-foot-high chimney. The 4,000-square-foot residence will feature connected 3D-printed concrete structural elements with conventional wood framing, insulated with spray-foam insulation. “Our hybrid construction approach creates a building system that is structurally efficient, easily replicable, and materially responsive,” Lok said. “The project also highlights the exciting design potential of mass-customized architectural components to meet homeowners’ needs and to simplify building system integration.”
HDTV tours its first property outside of New York
The lobby of the Farnam hotel in Omaha, Nebraska
September concludes with another insightful episode of HDTV, the recently launched video series where Hospitality Design goes on location with designers and owners for an inside look at what goes into developing and creating their latest and greatest projects. Sponsored by Durkan, the fifth episode centers on the Farnam hotel in Omaha, Nebraska. HD editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen sits down with owners Jason and Angie Fisher, Ben Nicholas and Matt Swope of Gettys Interiors, as well as Durkan’s Arnavaz Barshan to hear the ins and outs of the Autograph Collection property. Catch up on all of the HDTV episodes here.
