A rooftop venue and café are accessible to the public as well. The sloping of the roof creates an amphitheatre-like space that is framed by a dramatic backdrop of the city itself. With open venues, one sheltered and one with a rooftop view, and traditionally hidden theatre spaces being revealed out towards the city the new National Theatre of Albania will be both stage and actor in the city of Tirana.
Located on the industrial waterfront of Amager, where raw industrial facilities have become the site for extreme sports from wakeboarding to go-kart racing the new power plant adds skiing, hiking, and rock climbing to the area. Expert skiers can ski down the artificial Olympic half-pipe length ski slope all year round, test the freestyle park, or try the timed slalom course, while beginners and kids practice on the lower slopes. Skiers ascend the park from the platter lift, carpet lifts, or glass elevator with views inside the -hour waste incineration process.
The façade design builds off of Gowanus’ rich industrial history by harmonizing the warm tones of weathering steel and red-pigmented concrete with the neighboring red brick warehouses. Evoking an industrial logic, the building’s organic slopes are composed of only straight elements creating a unique faceted form. Through its architecture, public waterfront and diverse mix of program, our proposal aims to strengthen the distinct characteristics of Gowanus into an iconic community oriented destination.
With Chongqing’s unique location between the mountains, impressive cloud formations shield the building from direct sun exposure and creates a special atmosphere condition that allows the façade designs to be more transparent than usual. To protect the façades and exterior public spaces from further sun radiation and heavy rain, the building’s rooftops are extended by a significant distance, depending on the façade’s orientation. The roof also drops all the way to the central courtyard in one place, creating access to the roof lush garden, and in other places, the roof lifts in two corners to create entryways from the inside.
BIG was engaged to create symbiosis between old and new in both stylistic and atmospheric terms housing community activities and support rooms, a large hall that has the power to unite, inspire and create space for the parish to come together. BIGs proposal is based on the existing architecture of the church. The geometry is formed as an extension of one of the church’s four wings, with all the new functions placed at ground level.