Ecca collection

Refurbishment Police Academy

Architect Leon Thier talks of the unexpected silence in the 25m-high atrium, the focal point and “new heart” of the recently refurbished Apeldoorn Policy Academy building in the central Netherlands.

Images courtesy of Thea van den Heuvel

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Soweto Theatre

When the sun is setting in Soweto, South Africa, the walls of the new Soweto Theatre glow in a warm gold colour. In fact, these walls are clad in a grey colour, but their double curvature means that they reflect their surroundings, picking up not only the warm tones of the low sun but also the green of nearby trees. This visual richness is simply one manifestation of the wealth of ideas and ambition that are invested in a building that will serve both the local community and the national and international visitors who already come to the township, bringing much needed tourist income.

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Oceania Shopping Centre

The Oceania Shopping Centre sits at a major road junction in the heart of Moscow. Bordered on one side by a major boulevard and Victory Park on one side, and high-density housing on the other, the site offered the Asadov Architectural Studio a major challenge. As a shopping centre, the building would serve an ‘introverted’ audience, one that is focussed on what is inside. But it also needed to remain connected to the external, divergent landscape. The building also had to meet the client’s requirements for a light, modern, and attractive structure.

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