Architecture News

Architectural Cases

Celebrity Style

Building materials

English

Architectural Cases

Concéntrico Festival: Architecture for Urban Cooling

Slide 56
Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 4
Slide 5
Slide 6
Slide 7
Slide 8
Slide 9
Slide 10
Slide 11
Slide 12
Slide 13
Slide 14
Slide 15
Slide 16
Slide 17
Slide 18
Slide 19
Slide 20
Slide 21
Slide 22
Slide 23
Slide 24
Slide 25
Slide 26
Slide 27
Slide 28
Slide 29
Slide 30
Slide 31
Slide 32
Slide 33
Slide 34
Slide 35
Slide 36
Slide 37
Slide 38
Slide 39
Slide 40
Slide 41
Slide 42
Slide 43
Slide 44
Slide 45
Slide 46
Slide 47
Slide 48
Slide 49
Slide 50
Slide 51
Slide 52
Slide 53
Slide 54
Slide 55
Slide 56
Slide 1

The 12th Concéntrico Festival in Logroño, Spain, served as a dynamic arena for architectural exploration, transforming the urban landscape into a living laboratory. With over twenty temporary interventions by a diverse array of global architects, designers, and researchers, the festival continued its tradition of direct engagement with the city's inhabitants and visitors. These installations, strategically placed in streets, plazas, and vacant lots, fostered new ways of interacting with public spaces, challenging traditional notions of design exhibition. The festival's framework, built around themes of Identity and Fiction, Urban Ecologies, and Ephemeral Agents, underscored a commitment to addressing contemporary urban issues through innovative architectural solutions, particularly focusing on how design can actively respond to environmental conditions like heat.

A core aspect of this year's Concéntrico Festival was its emphasis on artificial cooling techniques as an architectural language. Installations thoughtfully integrated elements such as shade and mist to create comfortable microclimates within the city, directly addressing the challenges of urban heat. This approach highlighted architecture's potential not just to build structures, but to actively shape sensory experiences and environmental comfort. By creating tangible, temporary cooling havens, the festival explored autonomy in design—how structures can operate independently to mitigate climatic stress and enhance public well-being. This innovative blend of artistic intervention and practical climate response offers valuable insights into the future of urban planning and sustainable design.

Curatorial Lines: Identity, Ecology, and Ephemeral Design

The Concéntrico Festival's recent edition in Logroño embraced three distinct curatorial directions: Identity and Fiction, Urban Ecologies, and Ephemeral Agents. These themes guided participating architects, designers, and researchers in their exploration of urban space. Identity and Fiction encouraged a view of the city as a rich tapestry of narratives and memories, where architectural interventions could unveil and reinterpret hidden stories within the urban fabric. This line aimed to deepen public engagement with their surroundings by adding layers of meaning and historical context to contemporary design. Meanwhile, Ephemeral Agents focused on the role of temporary structures and mobile designs in fostering new forms of social interaction and community building, emphasizing flexibility and transient experiences.

Urban Ecologies, a particularly salient theme, prompted a critical examination of how architecture interacts with current material and climatic conditions in cities. This included profound questions about landscape integration, resource management, and strategies for mitigating environmental stressors within public spaces. Through this lens, the festival showcased designs that offered innovative cooling solutions, such as carefully crafted shade structures and misting systems. These interventions were not merely aesthetic additions but functional responses to climate change, demonstrating how thoughtful design can enhance urban resilience and improve the comfort and livability of public areas, thereby transforming how residents and visitors experience their city.

Innovative Cooling Strategies in Urban Interventions

The Concéntrico Festival in Logroño showcased a forward-thinking approach to urban design, integrating artificial cooling methods like shade and mist into architectural installations. This focus was a direct response to the pressing need for sustainable solutions in urban environments facing rising temperatures. These cooling elements were not just utilitarian but were woven into the very fabric of the architectural language, demonstrating how design can proactively create more comfortable and livable public spaces. By employing these natural and low-tech strategies, the festival emphasized a shift towards a more environmentally conscious and human-centric urban planning paradigm.

The festival's installations served as living examples of how architectural autonomy can contribute to climate resilience. The ability of these structures to provide self-sufficient cooling, through intelligent shading or evaporative mist, allowed them to function independently of energy-intensive mechanical systems. This innovative application of design principles offered a glimpse into future possibilities for urban development, where passive cooling and smart environmental integration are paramount. The festival not only beautified the city but also engaged its populace in an ongoing dialogue about the architectural responses necessary for adapting to a changing climate, making the experience both educational and inspiring for all who encountered these unique urban interventions.

The Verdant Courtyard Residence: A Multi-Generational Home in Ahmedabad
Architectural Cases

The Verdant Courtyard Residence: A Multi-Generational Home in Ahmedabad

Blue Bottle Coffee Harajuku Cafe: A Modern Sanctuary in Tokyo
Architectural Cases

Blue Bottle Coffee Harajuku Cafe: A Modern Sanctuary in Tokyo

Mimado Restaurant: A Fusion of Art Deco and Nature in Mérida
Architectural Cases

Mimado Restaurant: A Fusion of Art Deco and Nature in Mérida

Architectural Cases

Gabonsa Pavilion: A Hub of Creativity and Community in Innsbruck

Slide 16
Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 4
Slide 5
Slide 6
Slide 7
Slide 8
Slide 9
Slide 10
Slide 11
Slide 12
Slide 13
Slide 14
Slide 15
Slide 16
Slide 1

The Gabonsa Pavilion, a striking and versatile temporary structure, is the fruit of a collaborative endeavor between ambitious students from the Hochschule Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences and the creative collectives Gans Anders and Bonanza, both hailing from Innsbruck. Erected for the Gabonsa Music Festival, this innovative design aims to transform the Rossau Recreation Centre—a former municipal landfill—into a vibrant public space through a series of cultural events. Spanning 16 square meters, the pavilion seamlessly blends elements of furniture, artistic installation, and architectural design, serving concurrently as a communal seating arrangement, a distinctive visual marker, and a central gathering point for social interaction, thereby encapsulating the festival's adventurous and experimental spirit.

Gabonsa Pavilion: Fostering Community and Innovation in Innsbruck

In a compelling demonstration of interdisciplinary collaboration, students from the Hochschule Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, under the guidance of lead architects Prof. Fabian Wagner, Louise Daussy, Antonio Winter-Schlaf, and Nils Fischer, unveiled the Gabonsa Pavilion in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2025. This 16-square-meter installation, designed by Lucy Hartmann and Stella Feuerstein, with structural engineering by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Larissa Krieger, was conceived for the Gabonsa Music Festival. It represents a significant effort to revitalize the Rossau Recreation Centre, a site with a past as a landfill, into a dynamic hub for cultural engagement. The pavilion's multifaceted design allows it to function simultaneously as a comfortable seating area for festival-goers, a prominent landmark within the landscape, and a communal space that encourages interaction and exchange. Its construction involved the collaborative spirit of Bonanza & Gans Anders, further emphasizing its community-centric design. The project, documented through the lenses of Susanne Oberhollenzer, Toni Schade, Christoph Schwarz, and Fabian Wagner, stands as a testament to innovative architectural thought applied to public space reactivation.

This project exemplifies how thoughtful design can breathe new life into neglected urban spaces, transforming them into vibrant communal assets. The Gabonsa Pavilion underscores the power of temporary installations to create lasting impressions and foster a sense of community. It serves as a compelling model for future urban revitalization efforts, demonstrating that even former industrial sites can be reimagined as dynamic cultural landscapes through creative collaboration and an experimental approach to architecture.

See More
The Mami Dan Temple of Toligbé Cultural Center: Blending Tradition with Modernity
Architectural Cases

The Mami Dan Temple of Toligbé Cultural Center: Blending Tradition with Modernity

Cença Pizza Bar: A Modern Transformation of a Historic Curitiba Building
Architectural Cases

Cença Pizza Bar: A Modern Transformation of a Historic Curitiba Building

Colorful Interior Renovation in Poznań's Łazarz District by LBWA
Architectural Cases

Colorful Interior Renovation in Poznań's Łazarz District by LBWA

Architectural Cases

Luohu Library and Youth Activity Center / Shenzhen Huahui Design + iDEA

Slide 58
Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 4
Slide 5
Slide 6
Slide 7
Slide 8
Slide 9
Slide 10
Slide 11
Slide 12
Slide 13
Slide 14
Slide 15
Slide 16
Slide 17
Slide 18
Slide 19
Slide 20
Slide 21
Slide 22
Slide 23
Slide 24
Slide 25
Slide 26
Slide 27
Slide 28
Slide 29
Slide 30
Slide 31
Slide 32
Slide 33
Slide 34
Slide 35
Slide 36
Slide 37
Slide 38
Slide 39
Slide 40
Slide 41
Slide 42
Slide 43
Slide 44
Slide 45
Slide 46
Slide 47
Slide 48
Slide 49
Slide 50
Slide 51
Slide 52
Slide 53
Slide 54
Slide 55
Slide 56
Slide 57
Slide 58
Slide 1

The Luohu Library and Youth Activity Center, conceptualized by Shenzhen Huahui Design and iDEA, stands as a testament to integrated urban planning. Positioned in Luohu, a district of Shenzhen where the majesty of nature intertwines with a bustling metropolitan landscape, this development masterfully blends a public library with a dynamic youth activity hub. The architectural philosophy, termed "Stacking Mountains, Layering the City," underpins the design, emphasizing a harmonious coexistence with its diverse surroundings.

This innovative project is conceived to infuse a sense of openness and accessibility into a significant cultural institution. It strives to bridge the gap between the sprawling natural environment and the dense, intricate urban setting. By fostering permeability and spaciousness, the design not only enhances the intrinsic charm of the location but also invigorates the surrounding urban fabric. The complex, spanning an area of 77,077 square meters and projected for completion in 2025, promises to be a vibrant center for learning and community engagement.

At its core, the Luohu Library and Youth Activity Center embodies a progressive vision for urban development. It demonstrates how a substantial public facility can thoughtfully integrate with its environment, offering both educational and recreational opportunities while celebrating the unique character of its site. This architectural endeavor is a bold statement on the importance of creating public spaces that are both functional and inspiring, reflecting a deep understanding of human needs and urban dynamics.

The Luohu Library and Youth Activity Center stands as a beacon of modern architectural thought, championing the integration of natural elements and urban vibrancy within a public space. This project exemplifies how thoughtful design can enrich communities, foster learning, and promote a sense of belonging, contributing positively to the cultural and social landscape of Shenzhen.

See More