Construction

Foster + Partners designs "largest all-electric tower" for JPMorgan Chase in Manhattan Foster + Partners has released plans for the new global headquarters for JPMorgan Chase in Manhattan, which the architecture firm claims will be New York's largest all-electric tower. The skyscraper for the finance company at 270 Park Avenue will be "New York City's largest all-electric tower with net-zero operational emissions", according to Foster + Partners. "[It] will be 100 per cent powered by renewable energy sourced from a New York State hydroelectric plant," the studio continued. Foster + Partners will design a tower on the site of the...

Natural Material Studio turns wood offcuts into biomaterials to utilise the whole tree Danish firm Natural Material Studio has created four biomaterials out of sawdust salvaged from the sawmill of flooring manufacturer Dinesen to explore the potential of using wood waste to make building materials. The biomaterials are showcased in the gallery space of the Dinesen showroom in central Copenhagen via an "architectural installation" called Smuld – meaning "sawdust" in Danish – designed in collaboration with local practice Office Kim Lenschow. Natural Material Studio has created four biomaterials out of sawdust The installation features four brown-hued materials made of a...

Foster + Partners "restores the logic" of Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco UK studio Foster + Partners has renovated the modernist Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper in San Francisco, USA, restoring elements from the original design and linking it to a redesigned adjacent park. Foster + Partners renovated the 853-foot-tall (260-metre) office skyscraper, which is the the second tallest building in San Francisco, for developer SHVO by opening up the lobby, refreshing amenities and implementing landscaping strategies to better connect the iconic building to the streetscape. Foster + Partners has renovated the Transamerica Pyramid. Above photo by Photo by David Lipman. Top...

Manufactura and BioMatters create 3D-printing composite from discarded lobster shells Mexican design studio Manufactura and New York studio BioMatters have created 3D-printed objects using a composite consisting mainly of shells from industrial lobstering byproducts in Maine. During a residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, the two studios zeroed in on the state's significant lobster production and the waste material from shells, usually developed when lobsters are canned or otherwise processed on-site. Manufactura and BioMatters crushed the shells of American lobsters into a fine substance and then mixed it with binding agents, such as local clays, before running it...

Yoghurt window coating proposed as emergency heatwave measures British engineer Tom Greenhill is proposing painting the outside of windows with yoghurt as a low-cost, low-energy solution to keep UK homes cool during heatwaves. Painted on with a roller, yoghurt dries quickly and creates a fritted glass-like effect that Greenhill says should reflect light and heat in much the same way as other energy-efficient window coating products. Greenhill admits that this may seem like a "totally eccentric idea". But based on his own experiments, he is yet to see a downside to the strategy. Tom Greenhill has proposed using yoghurt as...