Years ago we met a well-known American architect in his Philadelphia studio with a very successful story behind him, a surprising professional as the gift that we believe: "TO BE CONTINUED" - a publication dedicated to his many projects.
Looking through it we were impressed by the fact that only drawings appeared, never photos of the works made. We kept asking questions unanswered, until the same architect explained to us that it was the "book of defeats", or a collection dedicated to all those projects that were never realized by him, but by other international studies.
This is Dan Kelley of MGA Partners Architects, and he’s certainly not lacking in humility.
In the same way we'd also like to present you some beautiful projects, in whose competitions we participated, but which others have realized. Taking part in international calls and competitions for technically challenging and ambitious projects, is always a positive and constructive experience, even when it is not won. Enriching the company and its people with new knowledge, techniques and methods for the benefit of future customers.
MUSEO SOUMAYA, MEXICO CITY
In the district of Nuevo Polanco stands out a facade with a unique and mesmerizing design, designed by Arch. Fernando Romero, who covers the famous Soumava museum in Mexico City and inside it houses the second most important collection of Rodin’s sculptures.
An iconic and sparkling building, built by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim to commemorate the death of his wife Soumava Domit de Slim, and reflecting the desire to create a cultural emblem, accessible to all.
The facade has 16,000 hexagonal aluminum modules, of different sizes, which form a continuous skin from the sinuous and sweet morphology, characterizing the envelope for both lightness and mutability, offering the viewer a view always different depending on the time, time and observation point.
The work is often compared to the facade of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, but the technical eye will not escape that the architectural structure is much more complex, precisely because it does not consist of overlapping shingles like the facade of the Basque museum, but modules with open joints, that require a greater need for precision both design and construction.
Photo Copyright Fernando Romero
LUSAIL TOWERS, QATAR
We continue with the magnificent towers designed by Foster + Partner in Doha and become a real landmark in the new Business Centre of Lusail City. A unique and surprising façade project, characterized by the wide use of terracotta tiles and the high degree of customization. The complex consists of 4 skyscrapers, two of 70 floors and two of 50 floors, arranged symmetrically with an oval plant that rotates 90 degrees as the eye rises to generate a visual effect of asymmetry. The tallest towers reach a remarkable height of 310 meters, making it one of the tallest buildings in Doha.
The contrast that is created between inside and outside is nothing short of fascinating, as the external facade is extremely technological and cold, while the inside, visible also from outside, for a game of transparencies created to art, It is much warmer taking back the colors of sand and desert stones, in addition to the terracotta. For the interior the dimensions of the buildings and the height of the facades are quite remarkable, being terracotta modules of about 1.8mt and heights of over 7mt.
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL, NEW YORK
In this excursus under the banner of aesthetics and design we conclude with the latest iconic project, so strong experience gained in the realization of the inner and outer facades of the 5 stations of the subway in Manhattan, we participated in the tender for the design and supply of the materials needed for the expansion of the most famous and largest railway station in the world: The Grand Central Terminal in New York.
More than 250,000 tourists pass through this temple every day, open to the public in February 1913; today it hosts 44 platforms and 67 tracks, as well as being a famous and renowned location of Hollywood movies.
The pharaonic project started about 15 years ago included the underground extension of the well-known terminal for an investment of 11 billion dollars. The numbers were staggering:
- 14 new underground floors;
- 40 miles of new tracks installed;
- 2,500 m2 of new commercial space was made available to visitors;
- 35,000 m2 of corridors, passageways and additional areas dedicated to the improvement of internal passenger traffic.
Precisely the walls of these areas were covered with cutting-edge materials for technical characteristics, reaction to fire and resistance to the continuous stress generated by the transit of hundreds of thousands of people.
The above mentioned achievements have allowed Aliva to incorporate new theoretical and technical knowledge, as well as allowing the obtaining of subsequent international calls and projects, increasing their reputation in the sector. We emphasize, before saying goodbye, that, as in all aspects of life, you must never give up because the experience combined with a deep know-how always pay off.
Thank you for taking time to read the article, if you want to improve our knowledge or want to deepen the specific and technical aspects of a ventilated façade, you can contact us here.
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