Vodafone Headquarters By Barbosa & Guimarães

Phone operators always keen to create fantastic ads and build their brand communication efforts to look important and impressive. However, their large office buildings often looks plain & Boring without anything special.

But this is not the case with the new Vodafone Headquarters Building located in Porto, north-west Portugal. Designed by Portuguese architect José António Barbosa from Barbosa & Guimarães, the glacial facade and Planet Krypton interiors take it as far away from your run-of-the-mill office block as is possible.

The dynamic and elegant building reflects the attitude of Vodafone. It honor Vodafone's philosophy “Life in Motion”. and adopt a dynamic image, conveying the sense of movement, and challenging the static.

National Museum of Qatar By Jean Nouvel

Jean Nouvel’s  new National Museum of Qatar utilizes technology to create a thoroughly new institution.  Entire walls become cinematic displays and hand-held mobile devices guide visitors through the thematic displays of the collections. 

Located on a 1.5 million-square-foot site at the south end of Doha’s Corniche, it will be the first monument travelers arriving from the airport will set their eyes upon.  Conceived as growing out of the ground, the building uses rings of low-lying, interlocking pavilions, to encircle a large courtyard area and encompass 430,000 square feet of indoor space.  Tilting, interpenetrating disks define the pavilions’ floors, walls and roofs,  and the exterior in a sand-colored concrete.  Nouvel likens it to a ‘bladelike petal of the desert rose, a mineral formation of crystallized sand found in the briny layer just beneath the desert’s surface.’

eric stoddard: autovelo

the autovelo is american designer eric stoddard’s proposal to encourage car drivers to use pedal-powered transportation. the bike is specifically designed for rider’s seeking the comfort and convenience of driving a car.

the bike opts for a seat over a saddle and also carries over the foot and hand positions from the car. a small electric engine allows users to sit back and enjoy the ride without all the work. however there are pedals for times when you don’t mind putting in the effort. there is a single suspension below the seat to smooth out any bumps. to make riding the bike even more familiar to drivers, the seat height is in line with a typical SUV so drivers and riders meet eye to eye.

aptera 2e

the aptera 2e is an ultra-efficient three-wheel battery powered electric car that will be on sale at some point this year.

aptera motors has been working on the vehicle for many years, and setbacks have pushed the release date back to some time this year. the car was designed from the ground up, focusing on aerodynamics as one of its main efficiency measures. the car has an electric engine that is said to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in less than 10 seconds and achieve a top speed of 137km/h. future iterations of the car may include a plug-in hybrid engine, which would lower the cost and make it more practical for a wider range of drivers. the car also features a solar panel on the roof, which will be used to run the heat pump. the textiles and other materials used in the interior will be made from recycled materials and organic dyes to further reduce the car’s ecological footprint.

australian pavilion at venice architecture biennale 2010

the final selection of entries from the national 'designs for australia's cities 2050+' competition has been announced and will be exhibited in the australian pavilion at the venice architecture biennale 2010.

australia is one of the most urbanized continents on earth, with 93% of people living in cities. The 17 selected proposals are visions of australia, depicting cities 40+ years in the future. These architectural ideas comment profoundly on urban density and sprawl and will act as a catalyst for debate.