Seattle-based Olson Kundig (OK) is currently designing the world's first alternative cremation facility that converts human remains into sustainable soil in Seattle's SODO (South of Downtown) neighborhood. The new after-death care center, Recompose, is slated to open in spring 2021 and will feature natural organic reduction vessels that "gently [convert] human remains into soil in about 30 days, helping nourish new life after death," according to an OK press release. The 18,500-square-foot facility will house approximately 75 of these vessels oriented around a central gathering space. "We asked ourselves how we could use nature—which has perfected the life/death cycle—as a model for human death care," said Recompose CEO and founder Katrina Spade in the same release. "We saw an opportunity for this profound moment to both give back to the earth and reconnect us with these natural cycles." [Olson Kundig]
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has revealed the winners of its 2020 Awards Program that "represent the very best tall buildings, urban contributions, technologies, and innovations emerging recently in cities around the world," according to a CTBUH press release. Among the winners are the U.S. Embassy in London by KieranTimberlake, the Tianjin CTF Finance Center in Tianjin, China, by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and the Victoria Dockside redevelopment in Hong Kong by Kohn Pedersen Fox. Winners will attend the CTBUH 2020 Tall + Urban Innovation Conference in Chicago in April 2020 to compete for "best in category" distinctions. [CTBUH]
With the completion of T3 Atlanta, the Georgia capital is now home to the largest mass-timber building in the United States. Reaching seven stories tall and totaling 205,000 square feet, T3 features dowel-laminated timber panels installed over a glulam frame with a steel brace lateral system. [StructureCraft Builders]
In a collaboration with the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Google Arts & Culture has launched an online exhibition of the ongoing influence of the Bauhaus movement in architecture and design today. Virtual visitors can review approximately 10,000 digitized objects and explore the Bauhaus Building in Dessau, Germany, as well as three unrealized Bauhaus buildings in VR. In total, the online program features 45 exhibitions covering the school's legacy, including student life at the Bauhaus school, women at the Bauhaus, and Bauhaus design icons. [Google Arts & Culture]
Tesla has launched a new utility truck that it claims can perform better than a sports car. Named Cybertruck, the vehicle is clad in a cold-rolled, stainless-steel structural skin and Tesla armor glass for superior durability. The six-seat truck features 100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage space and can tow more than 14,000 pounds. Available in single, dual, and triple motor all-wheel drive. [Tesla]
Blaine Brownell, AIA, explores emergent technologies that use captured carbon in building materials like cement. [ARCHITECT]
