Week in Tech: Richard Rogers’s Last Project

Richard Rogers, Hon. FAIA, has completed his final project. The Pritzker Prize– and 2019 AIA Gold Medal–winning architect and co-designer of the Centre Pompidou in Paris began the project before he retired from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners in June 2020. Located in the south of France on the grounds of Château La Coste—a vineyard and art destination studded with architectural gems from the likes of Renzo Piano, Hon. FAIA, Tadao Ando, Hon. FAIA, and Jean Nouvel, Hon. FAIA—Rogers’ 120-square-meter (1,300-square-foot) gallery and pavilion space cantilevers off a hillside overlooking a historic ruined village. Articulated by a naturally finished satin and bright orange steel truss, the pavilion seems to hover above the ground, suggesting that “the building is itself a sculpture in this landscape,” according to a Château La Coste press release.

Given the region’s seismic activity, Rogers used “bridge type engineering and construction techniques” for the project, relying on flexible materials that remained sensitive to the area’s seasonal temperatures, such as a poured resin gallery floor that “flexes in harmony with the structure.” [Château La Coste]

Just months after carrying its first human travelers, the high-speed transportation company Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has joined the United Nations Global Compact, joining 12,765 other companies from 160 countries around the world in a non-binding commitment to sustainable practices. Hyperloop also revealed designs for its first full-scale commercial system designed by the Beirut–based engineering and design firm Dar Al-Handasah Consultants in collaboration with sister firms Perkins&Will, T.Y.Lin, and Currie & Brown. The design aims to be “one of the most sustainable structures ever built,” according to a Hyperloop press release, and will include an in-line station for Hyperloop travelers. [Hyperloop]

Earth’s ocean absorbs 90% of the heat generated by emissions and releases 50% of the oxygen we breathe, but scientists have only mapped 19% of its vast expanse, as compared to the 90% of Mars that is mapped. So how can smart maps and geospatial technology help scientists better understand the ocean, and ultimately help them protect the vulnerable resource? [MIT Technology Review]

After getting the green light to begin work on the Obama Presidential Center designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and located in Chicago’s South Side, the Obama Foundation has launched the OPC Construction Workforce Initiative, aiming to “create an inclusive construction workforce trained with skills to build the OPC, and create a diverse pipeline of talent that can be funneled to construction projects across the city,” according to the foundation’s press release. The Obama Foundation structured the initiative around three pillars: ensuring that 35% of the construction workforce will come from targeted areas on the South and West sides of Chicago, supporting diverse subcontractors, and committing to an $850,000 partnership with local workforce development organizations to train 400 new apprentices from the city’s South and West sides. [Obama Foundation]

Researchers from the Ohio State University have found that floating gardens might be key to preserving farming in a world increasingly shaped by climate change. By studying floating gardens in Bangladesh, which extend farming into the country’s flood seasons, the researchers found “strong evidence” that “floating gardens provide stability, both in the amount of food available to feed rural populations and in a farming family’s income, despite the instability created by a changing climate,” according to an OSU press release, although there was room for improvement. “Farmers often take out high-interest loans to cover the investment costs of building the beds and stocking them with plants. Lower-interest loans from responsible government or non-governmental organizations could alleviate that burden.” [The Ohio State University]

Cloud-based building performance analysis platform Cove.Tool has three new features to foster collaboration, energy modeling, and design ideation. [ARCHITECT]

How can architects and designers nurture creativity when faced with an uncertain future? The New York Times takes a look at 16 design concepts from around the world that find “inspiration in global upheaval.” From self-sufficient microstructures in Barcelona aimed at providing comfortable isolation shelters during the pandemic to a zero-carbon community in Lagos, Nigeria, designed by the Los Angeles–based HMC Architects, The Times explores how our current moment has influenced the design world. [The New York Times]

Do architecture firms that invest in research have a competitive edge? Michele Russo for AIA ARCHITECT dives into the power of R&D, a practice that has increased dramatically in popularity over the years. “Seventy-two percent of architecture firms engaged in some aspect of practice relevant research in 2019, up from 66% in 2017,” Russo writes. “Firms of all sizes (44%) use literature reviews and save and revisit past projects as case studies for analysis and research (43%).” [ARCHITECT]

With millions of employees working from home, today’s offices exist increasingly in the digital sphere. But what did information storage look like in the paper-focused offices of the past? Flip through a selection of office furniture from the Building Technology Heritage Library’s collection of catalogs from the 19th and 20th centuries. [ARCHITECT]