Urban architecture


Grimshaw has been tackling the issues of urban architecture and what lies in the future for our cities.


Future architecture is a concept that is always playing on the minds of architects around the world. Our cities are constantly growing and there are three ways we can accommodate for this: increase density, increase city height, or a combination of the two. Grimshaw architects is an example of a practice demonstrating how to improve urban architecture both locally and internationally.

Grimshaw believes the answers lie in the urban spaces we can provide the city with, creating a sense of community while allowing more breathability for the environment, and the people. Take the Tirana master plan - Albania's capital city - for example, where Grimshaw has proposed a major city expansion. The key concept focuses on a sequence of public spaces running along the central boulevard, including a lido, which will provide communal urban spaces for 'play'.

Tirana

Grimshaw's completed master plan for Tirana, Albania, incorporating a lido in the centre for an increased sense of community

Lloyds

The plant life Lloyds Bank added to the exterior of the building at the London headquarters, encouraging green living. Photo: Lloyds Bank Group

Planning urban architecture for the future of the city can be taken as an opportunity to create a more sustainable city with the aim of decreasing our impact on the earth. Cities such as London need more open spaces, and these can facilitate green living with the introduction of green roofs or vertical greening in residential, business and leisure areas. For instance Lloyds Banking Group London headquarters, in 2002 added a structure to the building that preserves a garden at the front and planted balconies that allow the plant life to extend up the exterior of the building.

Lloyds

Lloyds Banking Group London headquarters: here you can see the structure at the front of the building that preserves a garden

Another primary example is Via Verde - The Green Way - an Award-winning, mixed-use and mixed-income residential development block in the Bronx, New York, by New Housing New York Legacy Project. The building by Grimshaw has vertical greening from the use of multiple roof terraces that continue down to a courtyard. Grimshaw wanted to instil 'healthy living' principles that could act as a model for future developments in the city. By implementing green spaces in urban architecture, this will boost future prospects for urban gardening and recreation, increasing biodiversity.

Via Verde

Via Verde - The Green Way - Bronx, New York, by New Housing New York Legacy Project. Image: Katherine Houston

Continue for more Urban architecture

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