The New Architecture Project

The Canadian Firm has been enlisted by Westbank to transform a shopping mall into a 4.5 million square foot community. This community will be known by the name of Oakridge and will consist of 10 towers dedicated to residential spaces– one of which will be affordable housing. Other areas of the community there will be offices and retail spaces. The structure will cover over nine acres of land and will have several bike lanes, designated parks, and walkways.

According to the lead architect Gregory Henriquez:

 “This is not another traditional shopping Centre incorporating residential towers, it’s a place you may never have to leave.”

When it comes to the interiors of these homes, offices, and retail spaces, Westbank has picked multiple different designers to oversee the interiors of the nine residential towers. Piero Lissoni, an Italian designer, was chosen to conquer the tallest of the buildings. This building was also known as Building Four and is a curved design that tapers off towards the top.

Lissoni stated:

“Westbank’s Oakridge project was incredibly appealing to me because of the scope of its size and ambitions to transform the city and urban life in Vancouver.”

This building encompasses every aspect of a person’s daily life with space for residential, offices, shopping, a workspace, and communal walking areas and parks to enjoy your life each day. This concept could potentially eliminate the need to leave these 9 acres of land.

This New Architecture Project, and the Effect on the Environment

Here at Building Empires Media Group, we find this project both intriguing and likely environmentally friendly. If this concept of having a residential community where residents work, live and play on the same grounds takes hold, then they never have to leave. This could cut the amount of pollution from cars, trains, taxis, and busses substantially if taken seriously.

Once this idea was off the ground and in the works, Westbank released a sneak peek of Lissoni’s design in hopes of enticing buyers and building their interest to learn more. Lissoni’s project consists of residential cabins located on floors 28 through 41, the main lobby, amenities, and a rooftop garden.

The Composition of the Westbank Buildings

Currently, the aesthetics of each residential cabin have been chosen to follow a very modern and clean look with a mix of wooden and white cabinetry, white pillars to give off a vintage vibe, white walls, and flooring with the herringbone pattern. All of the furniture from each unit are from places such as B&B Italia, Boffi, and Miele and are all in the colors of woods, white, and dark tones.

As for the lobbies of the buildings, they are set to feature a more mood-based décor with a mix of Italian furniture and motif. A custom-built Fazioli grand piano, along with an area dedicated to a concierge area, fill in space with a shallow pool of water as a base.

The rest of the interior is luxurious and simple with dark metal cladding over the elevator banks and pale stone contrasting the metal.  

Amenities that are included in the design of this residential tower will all be on the seventh floor and will consist of a cinema, a private dining area, a kitchen, a lounge, and a study room with a music room not too far away, along with a gym and wellness center.

The other buildings in this community are not yet designed, but are set for completion in the year 2027. There will be three more mid-rise buildings that will stand for commercial and office use, a civic center, a performing arts academy, a live music venue, a library, as well as a senior and children care facility, and lastly a mall.

Oakridge will be heated and cooled by using energy systems that will capture the wasted heat and match it with natural energy. This will reduce the number of greenhouse gases that are in the air, as well as reduce the cost of heating and cooling.

“This is a project yet to be built anywhere, that on completion will form a fully integrated vessel of culture, within the city of Vancouver,” said Henriquez.

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What is Interior Design? 

Interior Design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a home. Interior design is evolving more and more as trends are created throughout the design industry. People are following trends and wanting their homes to be decorated in a certain way. 

What does Interior Design Encompass? 

Interior design focuses on the layout and placement of furniture and the overall flow of a home. Interior design focuses on the color pallet of a home and the certain color combinations that work well together to be aesthetically pleasing. Interior Design also deals with the finishing touches of a home such as the countertops in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. It also covers the flooring throughout the home. 

What is Architecture? 

Architecture is the art of a building and its structure and the design of the exterior that is carefully designed and thought out by a team of architects and designers. 

What does Architecture Encompass? 

Architecture focuses on the design of the exterior of a building and how the structure is built. It also focuses on the floor plan and layout of a building or home. For example, how offices are laid out within an office building is vital when it comes to the day to day functionality of an office once its up and running. Architecture takes a lot of time and thorough thinking. 

Interior Design vs Architecture

What is the difference between an architect and an interior designer? 

Architects – To be an architect, you need a Bachelor’s in The Art of Architecture and any additional certifications or pre-bachelor education in construction, design, or architectural studies. Once you have completed your 4-year degree, the median salary for an architect is around $70,000 per year. 

Interior Designer – To be an Interior Designer, you can have either a two-year degree or a four-year degree. There are many options when it comes to certifications and degrees that you can use as an interior designer, although a Bachelors in The Art of Interior Designer is the most preferred one. In certain states, you may have to have a certain license or certificate to be a designer and sell your services. The average salary of an interior designer starts at $55,000 per year. 

Now because interior designing and architects have similar focuses, often you will find architecture firms with architects who specialize in architecture as well as interior design. This can often lower the cost rather than having to pay for both an architect and a designer. 

The average cost for an interior designer is dependent on the size of the job, location, and if the job is a full remodel including floors, painting, kitchen, bathroom, and the design of bedrooms. Interior designers can cost as little as $2,000 up to $12,000. Depending on the designer’s education and experience some may cost more than others. 

Architects run the same as interior designers. The price of an architect is dependent on whether they have the certification for both interior design and architecture and the kind of job in which they are being contracted for. Architects are usually cheaper than interior designers, because while they deal with a bigger job than designers, interior designers have to deal with the little details that go into making a space a home or an office the ideal space. Architects are typically working with the structure that makes a home or office space. Architects compensation can start at $2,000 and go up to $8,400.

Many people think that architects and designers are always in competition, and while that is true sometimes, they often work together. Like we mentioned before, there are sometimes architects who are also educated as an interior designer. Some firms will specifically have architects and designers that work together on the structure of a home or building as well as the interior. This can not only save money but save time and make a project completion time much faster. 

The architecture and design industry is constantly growing and will continue to evolve as design trends continue to grow. These days, everyone wants to follow a trend which is why they look to interior designers and architects to be fully knowledgeable and capable to complete the projects within their homes and offices.

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Architecture is something that people have been swooning over for centuries. All over the world, there are hundreds of buildings, statues, and monuments whose architecture is well known. For example, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids in Egypt, places like the Opera House, Notre Dame, Arc De Triomphe, and the Colosseum in Rome. All of these places and many more are all pieces of history and shows how the beauty of design and architecture are vital in the construction of a home or city. In this article, we will be going over how A&D has changed Hollywood over the years.  

Located in the heart of Los Angeles, California, is a neighborhood that has become home to the US filming industry with movie stars, musicians, historic landmarks, and modern-day restaurants and shops. This neighborhood is what we know today as Hollywood. In 1903, Hollywood was first named as a municipality and it has blossomed into an extremely popular destination as the film industry continued to grow and emerge. Hollywood is full of multimillion-dollar homes, as well as landmarks that go down in history. Luxe Design dove deep into some research to pull a select few landmarks out from the shadows of history from individual houses to full neighborhoods. 

 #1: Stahl House 

 Stahl House started as a plot of land in the year 1954, for sale for a whopping $13,500. The Stahl family purchased the land with the intention of building the home themselves. After years of weekends, full of labor intensive work, they decided to hire a well known California architect in 1957 by the name of Pierre Koeing. After $37,500 was invested into the home and the design and build were completed, Stahl House was a 2,200 sqft 2 bedroom, 2 bath family home with a swimming pool. The home stood out from the rest with the amazing views and modern contemporary architecture. Soon after, it became known as “The Home Built Ahead of Its Time”. 

 #2: The Adamson House 

 The Adamson House architecture was designed with a Hispanic and colonial look in mind. This home carries the characteristics of a Mediterranean world with thick stucco, tiled roofing, numerous archways, and a courtyard. The property that the home sits on was bought in 1929 by Fredrick Hastings Rindge, who was a wealthy man from the East. He bought the property for $10 an acre and decided to call it home with his wife who worked as a school teacher. The home was designed by Stiles O Clements, with construction starting within the same year of 1929. Today, the home is used as a venue for weddings and events, as well as a museum. 

 #3: The Neighborhood of Los Feliz

A 2.61 mile long neighborhood with a population of 35,238 people as of the early 2000’s, built a reputation that will go down in history. This neighborhood has been home to several movie stars and musicians and has been featured in several movies over the years. Mickey Mouse was in fact first brought to fruition in the neighborhood within the walls of Walt Disney’s uncle’s garage. In later years, it was the site of Disney’s first animation studio and Warner Brothers first studio, which is now ABC television. Not far away is Los Feliz Hills, which is a street of multimillion-dollar homes. 

 #4: Whitley Heights 

 This neighborhood has been featured in several movies as well, and is full of beautiful architecturally designed homes that are occupied by well known stars in the industry. Old and new actors such as Grey’s Anatomy’s Ellen Pompeo, musician Paul Kelly, Charlie Chaplin and a 1920’s actor Rudolph Valentino. The homes within the neighborhood are Mediterranean styled, like the Adamson Home. Sadly, 49 homes were torn town during the construction of the Hollywood Freeway, but don’t worry the existing homes continue to uphold its past, while emerging in the present. 

 Hollywood is full of historic landmarks that are well known for their well thought out design and architecture, these pieces of art have gone down in history due to the sheer fact that they are a statement and stand out from others like it. Along with these places of the past, places today that are common stomping grounds will soon be known as architectural history and live on in the years to come.

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