London based Zaha Hadid Architects has joined the Open Source Wood initiative organised by Metsä Wood. This pioneering open innovation projects aims to facilitate knowledge sharing and growth in modular wood construction. The collaboration includes a design proposal for a multi-storey residential structure using wood elements from the Open Source
Newtecnic, the British based international building engineering firm has announced that they have been appointed by the main contractor, BACS Consortium in order to oversee the construction stage of the advanced facade envelope planned for the King Abdullah Financial District Metro hub located in Saudi Arabia. It is great news
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
London based Zaha Hadid Architects has joined the Open Source Wood initiative organised by Metsä Wood. This pioneering open innovation projects aims to facilitate knowledge sharing and growth in modular wood construction. The collaboration includes a design proposal for a multi-storey residential structure using wood elements from the Open Source Wood web library as the primary building material. “We’ve been engaged in our own research projects on prefabrication and modularity in building design and specifically around the use of timber. We believe in a collective, multi-disciplinary approach to problem-solving and welcome the collaborative possibilities of the Open Source Wood initiative,” said Henry Louth of Zaha Hadid Architects. Open Source Wood is a continuation of Metsä Wood’s 2015 project Plan B, an ambitious blueprint that explored the possibilities of using wood in urban construction. Open Source Wood has attracted the attention of professionals and media around the globe since its inception in 2017. ‘We’re excited to have a world renowned architectural firm such as Zaha Hadid Architects participating in Open Source Wood. They bring unprecedented design excellence and knowledge to the project and we value the inspired point of view they bring regarding the possibilities of modular wood construction. We look forward to the outcome of their design work,” commented on the collaboration Mikko Saavalainen, SVP Business Development Metsä Wood. Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has redefined architecture for the 21st century with a repertoire of projects that have captured imaginations across the globe. Receiving the highest honours from civic, professional and academic institutions worldwide, ZHA is one of the world’s most consistently inventive architectural studios, collaborating with visionary clients, communities and industry experts to deliver transformational projects on six continents. If you would like to know more information about Open Source Wood and how you could be part of it, visit: http://www.opensourcewood.com.
Newtecnic, the British based international building engineering firm has announced that they have been appointed by the main contractor, BACS Consortium in order to oversee the construction stage of the advanced facade envelope planned for the King Abdullah Financial District Metro hub located in Saudi Arabia. It is great news that a British building engineering firm has been selected to work on a prominent international project such as this one. The Metro hub in the King Abdullah Financial District, or KAFD has been designed by Zaha Hadid and includes an intricate facade that is intended to illustrate the patterns generated by desert winds. The facade of the building was design engineered by Newtecnic, the British company, in order to reduce the solar gain of the building as well as producing air currents that can be utilised to cool the building. Newtecnic’s building research team has had to develop new algorithms in order to achieve the desired performance level from the facade envelope. The KAFD has been planned in order to create the capacity to manage Riyadh’s expected 50% growth over the course of the next few years. The KAFD is a part of the new citywide transport system that has been planned and includes 6 metro lines as well as 85 different stations, and more than 100 miles of track. It is thought that work on this project will be completed in 2018. The facade was complex to design engineer. This complexity was created from the continuity of the KAFD’s self-supporting, 200-meter-long, high performance concrete composite walls and roof used on the building. New adjustable building components have been created in order to build this structure as well as fixing methods that needed to be invented and tested by technic specifically for this project. Newtecnic tested these components in partnership with the Engineering Department of Cambridge University.
