Berlin studio Mono Architekten has combined a perforated concrete viewing tower with a car park topped by a public park to create a new entrance to the town of Neuenburg am Rhein, Germany.
Located close to the border with France and Switzerland, the project is situated between the town itself and the recently redeveloped green spaces a Stadtpark am Wuhrloch, a meeting point which was previously difficult to traverse due to a nine-metre height difference.
Bridging these two conditions, Mono Architekten sought to complement the functional need for a 231-space car park with more public facilities, including a new public plaza and a 36-metre-high viewing tower.
The connecting tower and carpark offer a new entrance into the nearby town
“The aim was to develop independent typologies from the functional requirements of parking and barrier-free access to the city park,” Mono co-founder André Schmidt told Dezeen.
“Together they create an identity-forming urban ensemble,” he continued.
“The parking garage roof was thus designed as a public square – Münsterplatz – and the vertical access structure to the city park was designed as a tower – Bertholdturm – with a publicly accessible viewing platform.”
Spiralling ramps provide vehicle access to the carpark
Using the site’s level change as an advantage, the new car park meets the level of the town to allow it to connect seamlessly to the new public square, which is finished with planting and paved seating areas.
Two spiralling ramps at either end of the carpark provide access for vehicles, while the perimeter of the structure curves to meet the existing road with its perforated concrete facade.
In the nearby viewing tower, an elevator core links the ground floor entrance with the rooftop, where 360-degree views of the landscape are accompanied by corten steel panels on the parapet that detail landmarks and their distances.
A bridge of corten steel links the car park roof with an upper entrance to the tower, and in future there is a plan to extend this bridge to create a ramp down to the adjacent parkland, creating a step-free, accessible route between it and the town.
Both structures were made using blocks of tamped concrete
The two structures were united by their matching exterior finish, with blocks of tamped concrete arranged to create square perforations that allow air to flow freely.
“The sedimentary tamped concrete layers at the entrance to the city are inspired by the city’s former location on the banks of the Rhine,” explained Schmidt.
“The reddish pigmentation harmonizes with the sandstone traditionally used in this area,” he continued. “The monolithic construction emphasizes the archaic character of the buildings.”
A corten steel bridge provides expansive views of the landscape
Mono Architekten took a similar approach to blending infrastructure with public facilities in their design for a service station in Thuringia, which also includes an exhibition space about the site’s nearby bronze-age burial mound.
Australian design student Alexander Burton has developed a prototype kit for cheaply converting petrol or diesel cars to hybrid electric, winning the country’s national James Dyson Award in the process.
Titled REVR (Rapid Electric Vehicle Retrofits), the kit is meant to provide a cheaper, easier alternative to current electric car conversion services, which Burton estimates cost AU$50,000 (£26,400) on average and so are often reserved for valuable, classic vehicles.
Usually, the process would involve removing the internal combustion engine and all its associated hardware, like the gearbox and hydraulic brakes, to replace them with batteries and electric motors.
REVR is designed to convert almost any combustion engine car to hybrid electric
With REVR, those components are left untouched. Instead, a flat, compact, power-dense axial flux motor would be mounted between the car’s rear wheels and disc brakes, and a battery and controller system placed in the spare wheel well or boot.
Some additional off-the-shelf systems – brake and steering boosters, as well as e-heating and air conditioning – would also be added under the hood.
By taking this approach, Burton believes he’ll be able to offer the product for around AU$5,000 (£2,640) and make it compatible with virtually any car.
Burton is a bachelor’s student in industrial design and sustainable systems engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne but has worked on REVR largely outside of his course.
Alexander Burton designed REVR to make electric car conversion more accessible
The spark for the project came a few years ago when he and his dad started thinking about converting the family car, a 2001 Toyota that Burton describes as well-built and reliable.
“But it’s just not really something you can do get done,” he told Dezeen. “It’s super expensive and it’s not really accessible.”
Burton wanted to find an affordable solution for others in his position while helping to reduce the emissions associated with burning petrol as well as manufacturing new electric vehicles, which are estimated to be even higher than for traditional cars.
Burton was motivated by the desire to reduce carbon emissions
With REVR, people should be able to get several more years of life out of their existing cars.
The kit would transform the vehicle into a hybrid rather than a fully electric vehicle, with a small battery giving the car 100 kilometres of electric range before the driver has to switch to the internal combustion engine.
However, in Burton’s view, this is where people can get “the most bang for their buck” with few changes to the car but major emissions reductions.
“You can’t fit a huge battery in a wheel well but we wager you won’t need one,” said Burton. “While people drive a lot, especially here in Australia, on average they drive 35 kilometres a day and it’s mostly commuting.”
“This distance would require only a five-kilowatt-hour battery, and we can put three times that in the wheel well.”
Burton used the motor modelling packages FEMM and MOTORXP to develop the design of his motor, which sees the spinning part, called the rotor, placed between a vehicle’s disc brakes.
The stationary part, or stator, is fixed to existing mounting points on the brake hub.
Burton used the FEMM and MOTORXP software packages to model the motor
Borrowing a trick from existing hybrid vehicles, the kit uses a sensor to detect the position of the accelerator pedal to control both acceleration and braking.
That means no changes have to be made to the car’s hydraulic braking system, which Burton says “you don’t want to have to interrupt”.
While the design is in its early stages, the concept was advanced enough for the jury of the James Dyson Award for exceptional student design to pick the project as the national winner in Australia.
The international prize winner from the 30 included countries will be announced on October 18.
Burton plans to use the AU$8,800 winnings from the national award to buy a small CNC machine and the specialist materials that are required to build a working prototype, building on a previous non-working prototype made in RMIT’s workshop.
Burton made a prototype of the device in the RMIT workshop
He says he has “a stretch goal” of converting a million cars with REVR and is interested in working with partners in the automotive industry. But he is also critical of its lack of investment in retrofitting to date.
“It’s like with repairability, industry is so against that,” Burton told Dezeen. “They love the whole planned obsolescence thing.”
“Ultimately, to retrofit goes against their profit margin because it extends the usefulness and the lifetime of their products. I think that’s why there’s retrofitting companies out there but they’re still largely reserved to classic cars. It’s just so expensive to do.”
Previous winners of the James Dyson Award include an infection-sensing wound dressing created by students from the Warsaw University of Technology and a fish-waste bioplastic by British designer Lucy Hughes.
Promotion: Bentley Motors’ first Bentley-branded residential tower will include a vehicle lift that allows residents to seamlessly travel from the road up to their homes without exiting their cars.
Bentley Motors’ first Bentley-branded residential tower in Miami will include a vehicle lift
Standing 61 stories high, the 749-foot building will be completed in 2027 and aims to be an iconic figure on Miami’s Sunny Isles Beach coastline.
The brand says that the building will have a focus on indoor-outdoor living spaces exemplified by its cylindrical form and floor-to-ceiling windows, which are designed to ensure each of the residences enjoys uninterrupted views of the Atlantic Ocean and the intracoastal waterways.
The vehicle lift will allow residents to travel from the road up to their homes inside their cars
Bentley’s design language is integrated throughout the design. For instance, Bentley’s signature diamond motif – a shape used across all of the brand’s products and cars – is echoed in everything from the meticulous diamond-shaped glass facade panels that are carefully angled to create the natural light refraction, to the elegant diamond-shaped tiles adorning the floor of the lobby.
Built to suit the needs of luxury car owners, each residence boasts an in-unit multi-car garage with storage for up to four cars per home, with convenient access to a state-of-the-art patented car elevator nestled in the core of the building.
Bentley’s signature diamond motif is echoed in the design
Named the “Dezervator” after Bentley’s partner Dezer Development, this innovative lift will allow residents to travel directly up to their residences inside their cars.
An RFID sticker placed in residents’ cars will be automatically scanned on arrival into the building. This triggers a sophisticated lighting system to guide the driver to the correct Dezervator to reach their own floor.
The technology recognises this ID and takes them directly to their residence, without the driver having to step out of their vehicle or press a button.
The building will have a focus on indoor-outdoor living spaces
Each lift features a hydraulic system that gently secures a car by its tyres to smoothly bring it on top of a robotic shuttle system, which in turn transports a car up or down to the correct story. The lower floors of the elevator shaft are enclosed by glass, granting passengers a full panoramic view of the shared spaces of the building.
Each of the Bentley Residences will additionally feature an oversized private balcony, a swimming pool, sauna and an outdoor shower. The building’s amenities will include a gym, spa, pet spa, whisky bar, a resident-only restaurant, wellness centre and cinema.
All homes will include a private swimming pool
Designed in accordance with the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) certification to ensure maximum protection of the local environment and its wildlife, the tower’s architectural design incorporates environmentally safe building materials and reduced coastal lighting, safeguarding the habitat of endangered sea turtles.
The interiors of Bentley Residences will be made from sustainably sourced, natural materials and finishes such as wood, leather and glass, thoughtfully curated to create a calming colour palette that reflects the residence’s coastal surroundings.
The building is scheduled to be completed in 2027
In the lobby space, structural pillars are veined with wood that has been ingrained with copper dust to add a subtle, metallic finish. This technique was used in Bentley’s concept car, the EXP 100 GT.
In order to appeal to a luxury consumer, the design team, led by Chris Cooke, head of design collaborations at Bentley, ensured that the residences were designed with the same unwavering dedication to detail found in every Bentley car.
Prospective buyers have the opportunity to explore a full-size 6,000-square-foot replica unit luxuriously appointed by Bentley Home within the on-site beachfront sales gallery
“One of the biggest achievements when we design a car, is to have a whole group of designers working together, but to make it look like it came from one person’s hand,” said head of design collaborations at Bentley, Chris Cooke
“We have the same exciting challenge with Bentley Residences Miami but on a 61-storey scale.”
The tower has been designed by Bentley in collaboration with Sieger Suarez Architects and Dezer Development
“In reality, each element has been considered, understood and designed by the Bentley Design Team, by our partners at Dezer Development and by Sieger Suarez Architects, but the overall effect is seamless,” Cooke added.
“We have applied the same attention to detail that goes into our cars into this very building.”
Bentley Residences also includes an oceanfront gym as one of its distinguished features
For example, Bentley’s design DNA is subtly woven into communal amenities, epitomised in such as the cinema, which is designed to mimic the concept of a Bentley car interior.
“A cosseting sofa wraps around the back of the rear three walls, embracing residents in the space,” said Cooke.
The whisky bar will reference the matrix grille of Bentley’s cars and feature a bar suspended from the ceiling to appear weightless and floating.
The tower contains 216 luxury homes
While the building completion is slated for 2027, potential buyers can view a full-size 6,000-square-foot replica residence, lavishly appointed by Bentley Home, within the on-site beachfront sales gallery.
The sales gallery can be found at 18325 Collins Ave, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160.
To learn more about the development visit Bentley Residencies Miami’s website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Bentley. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
A vaulted ceiling punctured with skylights features in a 1940s auto dealership that architectural studio Johnston Marklee has converted into a bright home for the Roberts Projects art gallery.
Roberts Projects chose the local studio to transform the brick and cinder-block building into its new home as it moved from Culver City to the mid-Wilshire district, which has seen an influx of art galleries in recent years.
Johnston Marklee has converted a Los Angeles car showroom into an art gallery
The architects conceived a total overhaul of the 10,000-square-foot (929-square-metre) former auto dealership, which was built in 1948 and features an arched, 30-foot-high (nine-metre) ceiling.
For many years, the building housed a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership known as the “Auto Dealer to the Stars”, as it drew celebrity clients such as actors Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball and Bob Hope.
Roberts Projects acquired a historic building in the area
“We searched for a space for over four years and felt this building was ideal due to the raw talent of the structure, incredible ceiling height and great location,” said Roberts Projects co-owner Julie Roberts.
The exterior of the building – which once featured large stretches of glass for the display of cars – was replaced with solid walls in grey stucco, which suits the “gallery’s minimalist aesthetic”, the gallery said.
The exterior was replaced with solid walls in grey stucco
Marking the entrance are a glazed garage door and an existing ficus tree.
“The elemental facade and building mass will integrate the new gallery into the cultural landscape of the arts and architecture across the city,” Johnston Marklee founding partner Sharon Johnston said.
Johnston Marklee conceived a total overhaul of the car showroom
Inside, the building houses four exhibition spaces, offices, study areas and a reception with a bookshop.
Throughout the building, “cavities of light” reveal architectural elements and enhance the viewing experience, the architects said.
A glazed garage door marks the entrance
The main exhibition space sits under the vaulted ceiling, which was given a fresh layer of paint.
Here, skylights usher in daylight. In other areas, illumination is provided by “clearstories” made of panels uplit by LEDs.
Concrete flooring and bright white walls lend to the gallery’s austere character. Furnishings include pieces by Alvar Aalto, Gijs Bakker and Jean Prouvé. Shelving is made of birch plywood.
Illumination is provided by “clearstories” made of panels
In the office area, the flooring consists of red-tinted concrete with exposed aggregate, which is original to the space. The concrete was polished and given a terrazzo-like appearance.
The gallery’s new home was inaugurated with an exhibition of colourful portraits by renowned US painter Kehinde Wiley, whom Roberts Projects has represented for over two decades.
“This new space is the next chapter in our long history of being at the forefront of the Los Angeles art scene,” said gallery co-owner Bennett Roberts, who said that LA is in the midst of a “creative renaissance”.
“With access to outstanding exhibitions year-round, dedicated collectors, and creative energy from those who call this city home, Los Angeles is poised to be one of the most important creative hubs for years to come,” he added.
In the office area, the flooring consists of red-tinted concrete with exposed aggregate
The opening of Roberts Projects’s new home follows a period of continual growth for the city’s arts scene.
Galleries such as Hauser & Wirth and The Future Perfect have recently opened venues in Los Angeles, and an annual edition of the Frieze Art Fair was introduced here in 2019.
Other art-related buildings in Los Angeles include a new home for auction house Phillips that was designed by local studio Formation Association, and the recent completion of a 20-year renovation and expansion of the Hammer Museum that was overseen by Michael Maltzan Architecture.
Spotted: Flying cars are becoming a reality. China’s XPENG mobility technology experts recently completed a public flight of the electric flying car XPENG X2 at an event at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The zero-emission vehicle is a two-seater car that uses vertical lift-off and landing to transition from road travel to air. Designed specifically for the complexities of urban driving, the X2 flies at low altitude and can be driven manually or autonomously.
XPILOT is the company’s advanced driver assistance system. It provides guided options specifically for city or highway driving, including intelligent cruise, on- and off-ramp assistance, and speed limit adjustments. The car is made from carbon fibre in order to reduce the weight for flying.
In the future, the XPENG X2 will be suitable for low-altitude city flights, particularly over short distances. Medical transportation and sightseeing are therefore two promising potential applications for the technology.
Supported in its exhibition flight by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, the success of the recent trip shines a light on the need for regulatory bodies to keep pace with technological developments. Cities will need to build new air travel codes for high volumes of low-altitude flights.
Other types of autonomous travel that Springwise has spotted include last-mile delivery robots and marine research observation drones.
Spotted: While electric vehicles certainly release far fewer tailpipe emissions than their internal combustion forebears, the lithium-ion batteries that power most of them face several sustainability issues. One of these is the fact that the average lithium-ion battery is sent to the recycler while still retaining around 70 per cent of its charging capacity. That may not be enough charging capacity for an electric vehicle (EV), but it is enough for other uses. A number of businesses are now popping up to provide a second life for these semi-used batteries. One of these is Nunam.
The non-profit startup based in Berlin and Bangalore is funded by the Audi Environmental Foundation and focuses on developing uses for second-life batteries. Its most recent project, in collaboration with AUDI AG and the Audi Environmental Foundation, is an e-rickshaw powered by used battery modules that spent their first life in an Audi e-tron. The e-rickshaws will be provided to women small business owners in India to use for transporting their goods.
While e-rickshaws are not new to the roads of India, most run on lead-acid batteries, which have a comparatively short service life and are often not disposed of properly – leading to additional pollution. On top of this, most e-rickshaw drivers charge up on the public grid, which gets a large amount of its power from coal. To get around this, Nunam has developed solar charging stations for the rickshaws. During the day, sunlight charges an e-tron battery, and in the evening, the power is passed on to the rickshaws, making local driving largely carbon-free.
Nunam cofounder Prodip Chatterjee describes e-rickshaws as having an ideal eco-efficiency. He explains that, “Car batteries are designed to last the life of the car. But even after their initial use in a vehicle, they still have a lot of their power. For vehicles with lower range and power requirements, as well as lower overall weight, they are extremely promising. In our second-life project, we reuse batteries from electric cars in electric vehicles; you might call it electric mobility ‘lite’.
Rickshaws are just the latest vehicle to join the EV revolution. Their small size makes them perfect for use as EV-powered delivery vehicles. But they are not alone. Springwise has also highlighted other EV delivery or micro-mobility vehicles, including solar-powered tuk-tuks, electric tuk-tuks for use in last-mile delivery, and an autonomous, electric grocery store on wheels.
Spotted: Rather than drab grey walls, underground car parks can now feature stylish, colourful panels that are also sustainably heating the buildings above. Seeking to harness the power of shallow geothermal energy, Swiss startup Enerdrape has created modular, renewable energy panels that are customisable with any look, and easy to install and manage.
Currently being tested in an underground parking lot in Lausanne, the company expects to supply the apartment building above with around one-third of its energy needs. The metal panels are the same thickness as a painter’s canvas and can be retrofitted to any structure with a wall in direct contact with the surrounding soil.
The panels absorb heat from ground as well as ambient air from the underground structure. This is why car parks are an ideal location. Rather than waste the heat given off by vehicles after they have been driven, the panels absorb it, and the connected piping system sends it to the structure’s heating and cooling system.
The Enerdrape system can work for a single building or can connect to district heating and cooling lines. It can also be used alongside other heat and energy sources as part of a suite of power options.
Geothermal energy is becoming a more popular addition to renewable energy sources as technologies develop and storing and transfer systems become more efficient. Springwise recently spotted a new drilling technology that makes ultra-deep geothermal energy a possibility, along with plans to turn disused coal mines into zero-carbon heat sources for local communities.
