Inspired by vegetative growth and the bamboo scaffolding of Asia, Thomas Corbasson and VS-A have proposed a conceptual project for an organic skyscraper for London that will incorporate waste produced by its occupants. The building will rise vertically as more and more of the glass and paper needed for construction is discarded by building residents. It is estimated that enough recycled material for the building’s façade could be produced within a year. The project earned a special mention in a recent Skyscapers and SuperSkyscapers Competition.

Australia’s new pavilion for the 2015 Venice Art Biennale will be, in the words of featured artist Fiona Hall, “a minefield of madness, badness, and sadness in equal measure.” Designed by firm Denton Corker Marshall, (who also designed the Stonehenge Visitor Centre), the project will replace the 25 year old temporary pavilion designed by Phillip Cox and will be the first building constructed on the Giardini in two decades.

Florida International University’s Stempel Complex, designed by Perkins + Will, will be completed this fall. The complex will house the Extreme Event Institute, which will bring together a number of the university’s research and academic programs to study “extreme natural events.” The form of the building itself takes inspiration from natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, and is centered around an oval-shaped courtyard.

Modeled after its dense urban surroundings, Chu Hai College of Higher Education’s new campus in Hong Kong meets a complex program while giving students a fantastic view of the ocean. Designed by Rocco Design Architects Limited, the building's geometry stacks different programmatic uses on top of each other and connects them with a vertical boulevard. The result is a sculptural entity, partially inspired by Chinese calligraphy, that seeks a balance between solid and void.

World Cup coverage has brought Brazil to the forefront of the public’s attention. While the country’s hasty construction of 12 massive stadiums has received criticism, this article from Christopher Hawthorne at the LA Times reveals that Brazil is, now more than ever, a hotbed of architectural progress. In light of this, we’ve compiled some of our favorite works from this year’s World Cup host country, including: Tacoa Arquitetos’ Adriana Varejão Gallery, JPGN House by Macedo, Gomes & Sobreira, a welcome center by Rocco, Vidal + arquitetos, and Um House by Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados. Also included is the 360° Building by Isay Weinfeld, Galeria House by MACh Arquitetos, Ipes House by Studio MK27 – Marcio Kogan + Lair Reis, a night club by Muti Randolph + Marcelo Pontes + Zemel + Chalabi Arquitetos, and NITSCHE ARQUITETOS’ Bernard Luis housing condominium. Enjoy!

In this TEDxTalk, the follow up to his popular TED Talk, "The Walkable City," urban planner Jeff Speck delves more deeply into his "General Theory of Walkability." The theory maintains there are four ground rules for increasing pedestrian traffic in urban areas: walking must be safe, comfortable, interesting, and - most importantly - there must be a reason to walk in the first place. Counterpointing this with America's fixation with accommodating the automobile, Speck shows us how beneficial a pedestrian city can be, both functionally and aesthetically.

Today marks the 81^st birthday of Portuguese modernist Álvaro Siza. Originally slated to become a sculptor, Siza’s switch-over to architecture took place early in his career, after experiencing the work of Antoni Gaudí (whose birthday he shares). Since then, he has risen to become one of the most respected architects of the era, winning the Pritzker Prize in 1992.

The Municipal Art Society (MAS) of New York announced their list of honorees for the 2014 MASterworks Awards last week. These annual awards are dedicated to buildings, completed the year previously in the city of New York, that exemplify a high standard of design, and make a significant contribution to the city’s urban environment. This year, all of these projects are located outside of the city center and cover a wide range of programming, from an African-American heritage museum, to a pencil factory addition.

Vin Cipolla, president of MAS said that “the 2014 MASterworks winners strike a great balance between groundbreaking design and historic preservation. We are thrilled that all the winners this year are in the outer boroughs, proving that design excellence is happening throughout the city.” See the full list of winners here, or take a look at the five major category winners after the break!

BCI Asia recently released its top ten awards list for architecture firms in Singapore. In recognition of some of these firms, as well as the excellence of the built work across this sovereign city-state, we’ve collected some of our favorite projects from Singapore. In this round-up you’ll find a mall by Aedas, a house by Ong&Ong, and a theme park attraction by DP Architects - all firms that placed on BCI’s list. No less deserving of attention is this public library by LOOK Architects, a hospital by Broadway Malyan, an art school by WOHA. The Tangga House, Cluny House, and The Golden Box, designed by Neri & Hu, Guz Architects, and K2Ld respectively are also fabulous works. We hope you’ll enjoy these projects, as well as our full list of architecture in Singapore located here.

For time immemorial, humanity has sought to outdo itself architecturally, building longer tunnels, taller towers, and stronger walls. Now, the Master in Civil Engineering program at Norwich University has compiled a definitive top ten list of these impressive structures. In the following infographic, you’ll find some familiar entries - such as the Great Wall of China and the Hoover Dam - as well as some lesser known greats, like the Qingdao Haiwan Bridge. Spanning over 2000 years of architectural ingenuity and invention, this list is sure to teach you something new about the most impressive engineering projects of all time.

The Beijing city district of Wanjing has traditionally been a gateway for people entering the city. Its name literally translates as “Looking Towards Beijing.” J. J. Pan and Partners seek to renew that title with the design of Beijing Automotive Group’s new Research and Development Center. Taking inspiration from the character 北 (bei), which signifies openness, as well as Beijing itself, this mixed use building is meant to become a symbolic landmark both for Wanjing and for the company it houses.

The following is an excerpt from The Landscape Imagination: The Collected Essays of James Corner 1990–2010 by James Corner. In this passage, Corner discusses the work of John Dixon Hunt, and the qualities of Hunt's work that he seeks to incorporate into his own (including his firm's - James Corner Field Operations - redesign of the New York High Line).

Over the past two decades, James Corner has reinvented the field of landscape architecture. His highly influential writings of the 1990s, included in our bestselling Recovering Landscape, together with a post-millennial series of built projects, such as New York's celebrated High Line, prove that the best way to address the problems facing our cities is to embrace their industrial past. Collecting Corner's written scholarship from the early 1990s through 2010, The Landscape Imagination addresses critical issues in landscape architecture and reflects on how his writings have informed the built work of his thriving New York based practice, Field Operations.

+ 8

Renovated numerous times during its history, Gaumont-Alésia, a Parisian cinema housed in a structure that is over 80 years old, will now be revamped by firm Manuelle Gautrand Architecture. With a design that emphasizes filmography’s presence in modern culture, the Gaumont-Alésia is set to become an inviting cultural hub for the surrounding city, showcasing cinema’s influence on both the interior and exterior.

Both street facades will be composed of glass curtain walls shaded by pleated metal panels. These panels will be perforated by hundreds of LED “pixels” which will create an image across the pleats. Both entrances to the building become animated walls, broadcasting film stills, movie trailers, and advertisements, all meant to entice passersby. The LEDS are spaced fewer and farther apart toward the edges of the building, creating a stippling effect around the border of the images. At the entrances these animated panels will peel upwards, creating a canopy under which patrons can walk.

+ 20

There are few countries as architecturally diverse as Vietnam. To celebrate this diversity, we’ve collected five of our favorite projects from this stylistically diverse country. These include the grove-like Kontum Indochine Café, the towering, leafy Stacking green, and the sinuous Binh Duong School, all by Vo Trong Nghia + Shunri Nishizawa + Daisuke Sanuki. We’ve also included the striking geometry that is the Folding Wall House by NHA DAN ARCHITECT, and the inverted pyramid of the Hanoi Museum by gmp Architekten. Enjoy!

Architects have been experimenting with the potential of building envelopes for years. Now, Arup has an interesting, Zumtobel Group Award-nominated proposal: the Solarleaf bioreactor. Developed in collaboration with SSC Strategic Science Consult GmbH and Colt International GmbH, this thin, 2.5 x .07 meter panel, when attached to the exterior of a building, is capable of generating biofuel - in the form of algae - for the production of hot water. More efficient than electricity and more sustainable than wood, algae is ideal kindling for producing heat, especially since it can be grown on-site. Moreover, the water in which the algae grows also collects solar energy, providing an additional supply of heat. More details on this sustainable innovation, after the break.

Asymptote Architecture has been commissioned to design a park with a collection of cultural buildings on the outskirts of Peccioli, Italy. Called the “Parco Degli Angeli," Italian for Park of Angels, this urbanized complex will be carefully grafted into the picturesque Tuscan countryside to create a dialogue with the surrounding farmland and historical sites. The park will include museums, interactive sculpture installations, and an amphitheater that can host 800 people.

Developing countries have the highest demand for steel-reinforced concrete, but often do not have the means to produce the steel to meet that demand. Rather than put themselves at the mercy of a global market dominated by developed countries, Singapore’s Future Cities Laboratory suggests an alternative to this manufactured rarity: bamboo. Abundant, sustainable, and extremely resilient, bamboo has potential in the future to become an ideal replacement in places where steel cannot easily be produced.

Virginia Commonwealth University has officially broken ground this week on the Markel Center, the building that will house VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the Institute is sited at a busy intersection at the edge of the Richmond campus, and will serve as a gateway between city and university. Inspired by the metaphysical idea of multiple timelines occurring simultaneously, the building will have four galleries which can host individual exhibitions at the same time, or link up to host a single, unified show.