SANCAKLAR MOSQUE by Emre Arolat Architects

SANCAKLAR MOSQUE

Emre Arolat Architects

İstanbul, Turkey, completed 2012

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This mosque near Istanbul by Emre Arolat Architects, which features cast concrete walls and a "cave-like" prayer hall, has been shortlisted for this year's Design of the Year award. Turkish firm Emre Arolat Architects used a combination of light grey stone and reinforced concrete to construct the Sancaklar Mosque, which is set into a plaza made up of shallow terraced steps. The 700-square-metre structure is situated in Buyukçekmece, a suburb on the outskirts of Istanbul and is separated from the surrounding gated communities by a busy highway and tall stone walls. The pared-back and unornamented structure is set into a depression in the landscape, with only the stone roof and a tall minaret visible from certain points around the perimeter.

10CAL TOWER by Supermachine Studio

10CAL TOWER

a project by Supermachine Studio

Bang Saen Beach, Thailand, completed 2014

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This concrete tower of interconnecting red staircases was designed by Thai firm Supermachine Studio for an elevated game of hide and seek. The Labyrinth was designed by Bangkok-based Supermachine Studio for a spot on the edge of a park near Bang Saen Beach, a coastal resort 60 miles east of the Thai capital.

LEARNING HUB by Heatherwick Studio

LEARNING HUB

a project by Heatherwick Studio

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, completed 2015

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London-based Heatherwick Studio collaborated with local firm CPG Consultants on the Learning Hub, a new eight-storey teaching facility at Nanyang Technological University. To avoid creating "miles of corridors linking box-like lecture rooms", the building was designed as a cluster of tapered towers surrounding an expansive atrium. The idea was to combine learning facilities with social spaces including balconies, gardens and open-air corridors, to encourage as many opportunities for staff and student interactions as possible.

RIBBON CHAPEL by NAP Architects

RIBBON CHAPEL

a project by NAP Architects

Hiroshima, Japan, completed 2013

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Two curving staircases encircle the exterior of this wedding chapel by Tokyo-based architect Hiroshi Nakamura, meeting at a rooftop platform that overlooks the Hiroshima coastline. The Ribbon Chapel by Hiroshi Nakamura takes its name from the pair of timber-clad staircases that wind around the exterior of the glazed wedding chapel.

TOWER 41 by Alberto Kalach

TOWER 41

a project by Alberto Kalach

Mexico City, Mexico, completed 2014

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Located in a strategic point of Mexico City, facing the majestic Chapultepec Park, Tower 41 designed by Alberto Kalach’s office TAX is displayed to the immediate context as a light sculpture at nightfall. The interior spaces were designed as a consequence of the structure of the volume, two structural concrete walls supporting steel mezzanines, reinforced by a secondary steel structure on the facade. Thus, the structural configuration generates free plans, allowing flexible spaces for any office use.