Named One Thousand Museum, the building will be located on Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami.

The 215-metre-high tower will have a concrete "exoskeleton" structure.

"I really love Miami, but I don't think the architecture matches the city," Hadid told the Wall Street Journal earlier this year. "It's a bit too commercial."

"We wanted to avoid that generic, modernist typology," she added. "We were interested in the idea of the tall building, and how it lands on the ground, how the structure is manifested."

The interior images of the tower include items of furniture designed by Hadid.

Prices for the luxury apartments are expected to start at $4 million for a half-floor unit, rising to between $30 and $50 million for a duplex penthouse unit.

Zaha Hadid's Architects proposed a spiralling parking garage for Miami in 2011, following in the footsteps of Herzog & de Meuron's multi-storey car park in the city. More recently the firm won a competition to design a metro station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – see all architecture by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Elsewhere in Miami, Dutch firm OMA and Danish firm BIG are going head-to-head for a project to completely overhaul Miami Beach Convention Center, location of the annual Design Miami trade fair – see all architecture in Miami.

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Scheduled for completion in early 2017, the 27,000-square-metre Bryghusprojektet is a mixed-use development on the site of an old brewery, which will include residential units, community spaces and a playground.

In the middle of the development will be the new offices for the Danish Architecture Centre, an organisation set up to spread knowledge about architecture and the built environment.

The centre will be surrounded by its own subjects of study and research, explains Ellen van Loon, who is OMA's partner-in-charge on the project along with the firm's co-founder Rem Koolhaas.

"Instead of stacking a mixed-use programme in a traditional way, we positioned the Danish Architecture Centre in the centre of the volume, surrounded by and embedded within its objects of study: housing, offices and parking," said van Loon.

The centre will include exhibition areas, research facilities, conference rooms, an auditorium, a bookshop and a cafe.

OMA's design for Bryghusprojektet, which is being funded by the philanthropic Realdania Foundation, was first revealed in 2006.

The Dutch firm is currently going head to head with Danish firm BIG in a competition to transform a convention centre in Miami, USA, while work is nearly complete on the OMA's Shenzhen Stock Exchange in China – see all architecture by OMA.

Images are courtesy of OMA.

Here's some more information from OMA:

The Bryghusgrunden Project is located on the harbor on the site of an old brewery, the Bryghusgrunden, one of the few remaining areas with the potential to link the city to the waterfront. The building itself will straddle the busy Christians Brygge ring road, creating new urban connections for pedestrians and cyclists between the waterfront and Denmark’s houses of government.

Construction begins today on the OMA-designed Bryghusprojektet in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 27,000 sq m mixed-use project will accommodate a new headquarters for the Danish Architecture Centre (DAC). The building will act as the missing link between the city centre, the historic waterfront and the culturally rich Slotsholmen district of Copenhagen.

OMA partner-in-charge Ellen van Loon explained: "Instead of stacking a mixed-use programme in a traditional way, we positioned the DAC in the centre of the volume, surrounded by and embedded within its objects of study: housing, offices and parking. The urban routes reach into the heart of the building and create a broad range of interactions between the different programme parts and the urban environment."

Situated among landmarks in the history of Danish architecture, Bryghusprojektet shares with the indigenous modernism tenets of simplicity, monumentality and urbanity. The site is bound by a cluster of historic monuments, including the Christiansborg Palace and the Old Brewery, whilst sharing the riverside with many other bold, contemporary interventions.

To capitalise on the site's potential, the building is an 'urban motor' to actively link the city and the waterfront. Providing a connection under the busy Christians Brygge, where entrances to the different program elements are strategically located, the site becomes both a destination and a connector at the hinge of the waterfront and the 'entrance' to the city.

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Dyson, who lives and works near to the Royal United Hospital, said he hoped the new centre would be able to replicate the success of the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care.

"Research has shown the incredible effect that a healing environment can have on recovery," said the inventor, whose best-known products include a bagless vacuum cleaner and a fan heater with no blades.

"This new cancer centre will use cutting edge technology and well considered design to improve the health of its patients."

By reducing background noise from hospital machinery and increasing natural light, doctors at the hospital found that the condition of sick and premature newborns improved substantially.

"We have been hugely impressed by the outcomes," Dyson said of the baby unit, which was designed by local architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

A study funded by the James Dyson Foundation, the charitable body set up by the designer, found that 90% of babies recuperating in the unit went home breastfeeding, compared to 64% in the old building.

Large windows and skylights increased natural light by up to 50% and exposed babies to changing outside conditions, helping them gain awareness of day and night.

Noise levels were decreased by over 9 decibels on average, helping babies to sleep on average for 22% longer than in the old unit, while nurses in the new building spent 20% more of their time with the newborns.

The cot rooms are arranged in a clockwise circuit from intensive care through to high dependency, special care, the parents’ rooms and finally home, so that parents can clearly track their baby's route to recovery.

Medical equipment is fixed to the ceiling and pulled down when in use, reducing clutter at ground level.

Dr. Bernie Marden, a consultant neonatologist and paediatrician on the ward, said the study had allowed doctors to build up an accurate picture of how babies respond to their environment.

"We have found that the design of the building is leading to better fed and better rested babies, contributing to their recuperation," he said.

See more of The Dyson Centre in our earlier post, published shortly after the unit opened in 2011, or see more hospitals and healthcare centres on Dezeen.

Here's more information from Dyson:

The Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care is leading the way in improving the quality of life for sick and premature babies. Pioneering research funded by the James Dyson foundation, has found that of babies studied, 90% recuperating in the new unit went home breast feeding, compared to 64% in the old building. The study also showed that babies are better rested – sleeping on average for 22% longer than in the old unit.

Through award winning architecture, the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) creates a healthier environment for babies, parents, and nursing staff. The project was funded in partnership with the NHS and private donations, including £750,000 from the Dyson family and the James Dyson Foundation. The building has a progressive layout. A clockwise circuit of cot rooms, starting with intensive care and leading to special care and finally home. This creates a psychological effect of development. Large windows give controllable natural light throughout, allowing babies, parents and staff to be aware of changing outside conditions, gaining an awareness of day and night.

The Research

A £100,000 donation by the James Dyson Foundation is enabling research to ascertain the full benefits of the new building. Collecting data from both the old building and the new, the hospital is building up a picture of the ideal environment for recuperation.

Consultant neonatologist and paediatrician, Dr. Bernie Marden said: "We have collated vast amounts of data using new techniques to build up a really accurate picture of how babies respond to their environment. We have found that the design of the building is leading to better fed and better rested babies, contributing to their recuperation."

James Dyson said: "New technology has been specifically adapted to monitor a baby’s sleep cycle and respiratory patterns in a far less invasive way than ever before. The findings show the way in which design and technology can have an effect far beyond the hands of a single consumer – aiding health."

Accelerometers measure speed and movement; they are used in aircraft and smartphones and increasingly in sports and athletics. Bath Rugby Club uses the technology to analyse player training techniques and fitness.

This research is the first in the world to adapt and use accelerometers to measure the respiratory and sleep patterns in a baby in order to monitor their reaction to the surrounding environment, using an extremely low power, self contained wireless device. Previously intrusive methods including ECG and information from ventilator circuits have been used to measure this.

The accelerometers have been found to be sensitive enough to provide remote and wireless respiratory information. Doing away with invasive tubing and tangled wires. This is a significant result which may allow for remote monitoring of apnoea, effort of breathing and the quality of sleep. The studied babies in the new centre were found to be asleep or in a restful state for longer than in the old building.

Infrared tracking technology was used to pinpoint staff movements in the building and test the efficiency of the design. The study found that nurses in the new building spend 20% more of their time in the clinical rooms, with the babies. Meaning more time spent caring for the babies.

Lux meters were used to take light measurements according to specific times, dates and outside weather conditions. Up to 50% more natural light was measured in the new building. This ensures a more natural circadian rhythm – allowing the babies, parents and staff to perceive the changing day, aiding the babies sleeping and eating habits.

Sound pressure level meter readings were taken and an average level for each hour was documented in decibels. Noise levels in the special care unit have decreased by over 9dB on average from those in the old building. It is suggested that the increased sleep observed in the babies relates to this reduction in background noise.

Cot side diaries used in the research captured the physiological state of the babies in each environment and the interaction of parents with their babies. In addition a qualitative aspect of the project measured how the ‘intervention’ (the building) affected parental and staff experience, taking the form of semi structured psychological interviews.

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ward redesign improves baby care appeared first on Dezeen.

As part of Riyadh's all-new public transport system, the station will be located on the edge of the King Abdullah Financial District and will function as a major interchange between three of the city's six new metro lines.

Zaha Hadid Architects has planned the four-storey structure with six platforms, as well as two floors of underground parking. A network of pedestrian pathways will snake through the building, designed to minimise congestion, plus passengers will be able to access the city's monorail network via a new bridge.

The walls and roof of the building will appear as a series of undulating waves interspersed with curved Mashrabiya screens. The architects describe it as "a three-dimensional lattice defined by a sequence of opposing sine-waves".

The project is due to complete by 2017.

Other buildings by Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid in the Middle East include the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, as well as proposals for a performing arts centre in Jordan and an office and retail development in Egypt. See more architecture and design by Zaha Hadid.

Here's a project description from Zaha Hadid Architects:

King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station

The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Metro Station will serve as a key interchange on the new Riyadh Metro network for Line 1, as well as the terminus of Line 4 (for passengers to the airport) and Line 6. The local monorail can also be accessed from the station via a skybridge. With six platforms over four public floors and two levels of underground car parking, the KAFD Metro Station will be integrated within the urban context of the financial district, responding to the functional requirements of a multimodal transport centre and the district's future vision. The project extends beyond the simple station typology to emphasise the building's importance as a dynamic, multi-functional public space; not only an intermediate place perceived through quick transitions, but also a dramatic public space for the city.

The design places the station at the centre of a network of pathways, skybridges and metro lines envisaged by the KAFD master plan. Connectivity diagrams and traffic across the site have been mapped and structured to clearly delineate the pedestrian routes within the building, optimise internal circulation and avoid congestion. The resulting configuration is a three-dimensional lattice defined by a sequence of opposing sine-waves (generated from the repetition and frequency variation of station's daily traffic flows) which act as the spine for the building's circulation. These sine-waves are extended to the station's envelope and strictly affiliated to its internal layout, translating the architectural concept to the exterior.

Location: Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Date: 2012/2017
Client: ArRiyadh Development Authority

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News: British firm Foster + Partners has unveiled plans for two residential skyscrapers as part of a mixed-use development in north London.

The skyscrapers will form part of a cluster of residential towers proposed for the City Road area in Islington, including Dutch firm UNStudio's Canaletto building and another proposed by US architects SOM.

The 250 City Road project, led by property developers Berkeley Group, proposes the redevelopment of a 1.9 hectare site currently occupied by a cluster of commercial buildings.

Foster + Partners' plans include 800 homes across two towers, which, at 41 and 36 storeys in height, would be significantly taller than any other buildings in the surrounding area.

Additional buildings containing shops, cafes, restaurants and a community space would be arranged around a central public park and courtyard garden.

Berkeley Group initially employed London practice DSDHA to explore the potential of the site before a public consultation in July last year, after which the project was handed over to Foster + Partners.

The project team, which includes landscape architects Gillespies, has now submitted the planning application to the local council.

Last month UNStudio unveiled its own plans for a 30-storey residential skyscraper on City Road, which studio head Ben Van Berkel introduced to Dezeen at the launch event.

Elsewhere in London, Foster + Partners recently received planning permission for three residential towers on the south side of the river Thames near Lambeth Bridge.

The firm also recently completed a new gallery wing clad with golden pipes at the Lenbachhaus art museum in Munich and an airport terminal under a canopy of domes in Jordan – see all architecture by Foster + Partners.

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