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The New Batumi Aquarium From Henning Larsen Is Inspired By Beach Pebbles.

Henning Larsen Architects has won first prize for its significant design concept for a new aquarium in the Georgian seaport of Batumi. The invited competition took place in spring 2010 with the German architecture company Drei Architekten and the two American companies PJA Architects and Pryor & Morrow Architects among the participants.

The 2,000 m2 aquarium will replace the previous aquarium of the port and will be situated on the beach side of Rustaveli Str. adjacent to Batumi 6 May Park featuring a Dolphinarium and Zoo.

Inspired by the characteristic pebbles of the Batumi beach (above), continually shaped by the wash of the waves through millennia, the building (below) stands out as an iconic rock formation visible from both land and sea.

The formation constitutes four self-supporting exhibition areas where each of the four stones represents a unique marine biotype – the Aegean Sea & the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Black Sea & the Red Sea and finally the more interactive exhibition space for teaching and “edutainment”.

The four dispersed aquarium exhibitions are connected by a central, multipurpose space including café, auditorium and retail functions with views of the black sea and Batumi beach as scenic backdrop. Visitors gather in the central space to convene, play, eat, shop and relax before continuing their adventures through the exhibitions.

Batumi Aquarium will become a modern, cultural aquarium offering visitors an educational, entertaining and visually stimulating journey through the different seas.

The central, multipurpose space in connection with the aquarium features a café and retail functions and its flexible layout makes it well-suited for presentations and workshops.

“It has been important for us to create a design that relates explicitly to local characteristics of Batumi while at the same time reaching out to the world”, says Anders Park, who is project manager for a number of Henning Larsen Architects’ projects in Georgia. “The aquarium interacts with its surroundings and becomes a manifestation of nature itself”.

Unfolding around the aquarium, a landscape of different sea archipelagos provides attractive opportunities for innovative outdoor research and learning, public space and meeting places along the beach.

The building's significant expression inspired by nature will not only make Batumi Aquarium a spectacular new landmark in Georgia but also a state-of-the-art contribution to exploring life underneath the sea surface.

Project facts
Location: Batumi in the Republic of Georgia
Client: Association A.T.U.
Gross floor area: 2,000 m2
Year of design: 2010 - 2010
Type of assignment: First prize in invited competition
Project team: Louis Becker (design director, partner) Anders Park (project manager), Viggo Haremst (design responsible), Michael Sørensen and Jaewoo Chun.

press release and images courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects

The City of Batumi

Batumi is the capital of the south-western province Adjara in Georgia. The city has approx. 120,000 citizens and is situated by the Black Sea, approx. 20 km from the border of Turkey. Batumi is a very active tourist city and commercial port. Unlike other cities in Georgia, the houses of Batumi are richly coloured and the city bears the mark of being a sailor city with a number of restaurants and cafés. Batumi also has wonderful beaches and many small hotels.

H2ome Yacht Has A Sleek Profile, Modern Interiors And A $20 Million Asking Price.

The H2ome Yachting Villa is a 44 meter long luxurious yacht with a large open back three level deck. It's designed and furnished with stylish modern interior accomodations for guests and crew, a state of the art kitchen, stunning bathrooms, a living room and dining room divided by a 'plant wall' and teak flooring throughout.

The exterior of the sexy and sleek luxury yacht has teak wood decks contrasting with the yacht's glossy reflective finish.

The concept of H2OME was born during a long conversation between the owner of an Open 35m yacht and Mario Grasso, the owner of the Italian naval design studio Navirex. In addition to engineering, Mario Grasso, guided by the owner's taste, designed the hull and superstructure. As for the interior, it was a design collaboration between Genovese Studio A-LAB and actress/ interior designer Raffaella Berge.

The entrance is in the large main hall, designed as an open loft and includes the living area, dining room (70 sqm) and steering in one connected space. The plentiful windows create a continuum between the inside and the marine environment, filtering in the natural light. The decor inside is characterized by clean geometric lines and balances perfectly with the plant wall, the focal point of the living area. The teak flooring strips helps to create an exotic atmosphere.

In the sleeping area of the lower deck are the owner's suite and four guest cabins which total 100 square meters. Each room has a sophisticated lighting system, which runs along the ceilings, walls and furniture, creating striking effects of lightness and elegance.

The beautiful bathrooms have glass walled showers and modern fixtures :

Forward on the starboard side are the large kitchen and left the laundry room, both accessible from the crew accommodations.

The outside areas consist of a beach (15 m), a well of 50 square meters and a Sun Deck (60 sqm). And the latter is endowed with a square dining area, bar, and lots of sun exposure.

Thanks to twin 1,925hp Caterpillar diesel engines and one Vericor gas turbine the yacht can reach a top speed of 36 knots. H2ome cruises at 17 knots (with the gas turbine engine off).

H2ome Yachting Villa

If you're interested in purchasing one, Fraser Yachts has listed her at an asking price of just under 20 million dollars. $19,910,781 (€14,500,000)

BoomCases Will Have You Rocking Retro-Style.

Dominic, aka Mr. SiMo, is a self-proclaimed "audio-nut" who had the interesting idea to turn vintage hard-sided suitcases into self-powered boom boxes, making music portable in a retro fashion. He takes wood and leather vintage suitcases (which he prefers to thin or plastic cases because the acoustic sound quality is better) and adds speakers and more.

Prices Start at $250 for a plug-in only case and at $300 for a battery/plug-in case.

Options include:
•iPod – iPhone/USB Charger: $15
•Double Battery Capacity: $45
•Solar Power Charger: $65
•Wireless Audio Playback: $100 (must have Bluetooth compatible device)

The Self Powered, Portable Suitcase Stereo system works with your iPod/iPhone or any device with a headphone jack. The cases will last several hours on a single charge (the charger is built in). In addition to running on batteries, The BoomCase can also be plugged in when the party goes inside. To save on weight, you can opt for a plug-in only version.

Many of the BoomCases shown in this post have already been sold, but Mr. SiMo has a slew of vintage hard sided luggage in various shapes, sizes and colors, just waiting to be turned into BoomCases for you.