Tsinghua University (School of Architecture)-Zoina Land Joint Research Center for Digital Architecture (JCDA) led by Professor Xu Weiguo has invented the “Automatic Masonry System by Robotic Arms”. Unlike the existing bricklaying systems, this integrative system combines bricklaying and 3D printing mortar process to achieve fully automatic smart construction; and for the first time in the world, the system is used on the actual construction site. The Brick Labyrinth Garden is located in a village featuring in brick buildings specially designed for the 2022 winter Olympics. The village owns the only brick factory in the neighboring area, so red bricks are used widely in innovative construction and decoration these years. The The yellow sandstone blocks used for the Baota Mountain Tourist Service Center are carved and built by local craftsmen. Yan’an is an important birthplace of Chinese culture, in which Baota Mountain is one of the most important tourist attractions. Built in the Tang Dynasty (A.C. 618-907), Baota Tower is a significant historical and cultural heritage in China. In July 2013, Yan'an suffered a continuous heavy rainfall, causing kiln buildings to collapse and serious geological hazards. to stop, visit and communicate. Meanwhile, it provides the most ceremonial route and brings tourists better experience.
The Guilin Exhibition Center is designed with the urban environment in mind. The spaces are connected and combined together freely by the layered water surface, winding paths and elegant gallery, forming a contrast to the building. The use of artificial elements and abstract nature not only reveals the modernity of the showcased building, but also integrates the unique scenery of Guilin into the building.
An international model of urban ecology and a laboratory for innovative sustainable thinking, Hunter's Point South Waterfront Park is an 11-acre public destination that initiated one of New York’s most ambitious, complex developments in decades, which also includes 5000 units of affordable housing, two schools, and an expanded ferry stop. Surrounded by water on three sides, the design incorporates numerous green initiatives, transforming an underutilized site characterized by long-term disinvestment into a new urban ecological paradigm. The site is both waterfront and city, gateway and sanctuary, blank slate, and pentimento. Two hundred years ago, the area was a series of wetlands.
To see more amazing entries from this year’s WAN Awards please click here.