Yesterday, the Apple Store Dubai officially opened to the public, becoming the tech giant’s 494th retail store to debut since the opening of their very first brick-and-mortar store in 2001 in Fairfax County, Virginia. Since that first occasion, their stores have become synonymous with ground-breaking, transparent design, with Apple even receiving patents for their iconic flagship store and glass staircase designs.

With their newest stores, Apple has tried to build what they call a “modern-day town square,” where visitors come not just to shop, but to be inspired, learn and connect with others in an inviting community space.

To mark the Dubai store’s opening, we’ve rounded up 11 of the most iconic Apple stores from around the globe.

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Following a successful several-year long campaign to maintain its accreditation as an institute of higher learning, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture has announced a name change and rebranding, as part of efforts stipulated by the Higher Learning Commission to distance itself from the larger Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. As a nod to the institution’s origins as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Fellowship, the school will now be known as the School of Architecture at Taliesin.

As architects around the country gather for the 2017 AIA Convention in Orlando, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has decided to share some initial results from their 2016 nationwide Survey of Architectural Registration, specifically, the number of architects licensed in each state.

The data tracks both the number of resident licenses and reciprocal licenses (licenses for a particular state held by a resident of another state). The 2016 survey found that the number of architects working in the US has held steady, and that architects are working across state lines more than ever before. While the total number architects dropped slightly from the previous year (0.4 percent) to 109,748, the number out-of-state licenses grew a full 3 percent to 126,554.

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As the race for the 2024 Olympics bid has been narrowed down to just two cities, the LA 2024 committee has revealed the latest plans for its bid. While the central appeal of Los Angeles would be its existing sports and transportation infrastructure (a key concern following the economic struggles of many recent host cities), the city would still see a comprehensive update of venues and several new structures.

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Tate Harmer has released plans for a new £8.5million hotel that will provide accommodation for visitors of The Eden Project in Cornwall, England, as the project has received planning approval. The 109-room building will utilize locally-sourced materials and meet high standards of efficiency and sustainability, matching the conservation-minded spirit of the Eden Project.

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2016 Pritzker Prize winner Alejandro Aravena has been selected as the 2017 recipient of the Gothenburg Prize for Sustainable Development, an international award that recognizes an individual or group for “outstanding performance and achievements towards a sustainable future. Given annually since 2005, the prize has previously been awarded to environmentalists, scientists, engineers and political advocates – Aravena is the first architect to receive the honor.

Last september, the first-ever International Bamboo Architecture Biennale was held in the peaceful village of Baoxi in China's Zhejiang province. Curated by local artist Ge Qiantao and architect George Kunihiro, the event saw the construction of 18 bamboo-centered structures designed by 12 architects, including notable names such as Kengo Kuma, Vo Trong Nghia, Anna Herringer, Li Xiaodong and Simon Velez. Aimed at exploring the potential of the sustainable material within contemporary architecture, the structures were built as permanent fixtures that will continue to serve the town after the Biennale’s close.

In this photoset, photographer Julien Lanoo has captured the vibrant results of the inaugural event, exhibiting the structures against the rural mountain landscape.

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Construction has officially begun on Vessel, the 15-story tall staircase sculpture designed by Heatherwick Studio that will serve as the centerpiece of New York’s massive new Hudson Yards development. To build the structure, 75 individual units are being prefabricated by Cimolai S.p.A. in their Monfalcone, Italy facility, then shipped to New York where they will be assembled on site. These first 10 of these pieces have now completed their 15-day overseas journey, with the remaining pieces scheduled to arrive on-site and put into place over the coming year.

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Real estate developer Two Trees Management has unveiled new images of the James Corner-designed Domino Park to coincide with the announcement of the park’s opening date, slated for Summer 2018. Located along the East River in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, the park is a central component of the 11-acre Domino Sugar redevelopment site, which will feature several new residential towers and a transformation of the former Domino Sugar factory by the Partnership for Architecture and Urbanism and Beyer Blinder Belle.

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VTN Architects (formerly known as Vo Trong Nghia Architects), has revealed plans for the Son La Ceremonial Domes, a series of of 5 bamboo structures that will provide entry and dining amenities for the larger hospital complex, also designed by VTN.

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With yesterday’s grand opening ceremony in the books, Times Square’s 8-year-long transformation has been pronounced officially complete.

Led by Snøhetta, the project saw the United States’ most visited destination change from a congested, horn-honking vehicular area into a world-class public plaza with the addition of over 100,000 square feet of pedestrian-exclusive space.

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TIME Magazine has named architect David Adjaye to their annual list of 100 Most Influential People, recognizing the world figures who have had the most impact on society in the past year in five categories: Pioneers, Titans, Artists, Leaders, and Icons. Unlike Bjarke Ingels and Wang Shu – who were selected under the Artist category in 2016 and 2013, respectively – Adjaye was nominated in the Icons category alongside champions including media personality RuPaul, subversive photographer Cindy Sherman, and US Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights leader who was the original advocate for a National African American Museum in Washington, which was eventually designed by Adjaye and inaugurated last September.

In the citation for the award, Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem (and currently working with the architect on an expansion project for the museum), describes Adjaye as “one of the great architectural visionaries of our time,” and lauds his work as “deeply rooted in both the present moment and the complex context of history."

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have named the recipients of the 2017 Top Ten Awards, celebrating buildings that best exemplify the integration of great design, great performance and sustainable design excellence.

Now in its 21st year, the COTE Top Ten Awards program was established to honor projects that protect and enhance the environment through an integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology.

Previously home to a beach-like ball pit, a giant maze, and sea of icebergs, this summer the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. will host the “Hive,” a 60-foot-tall domed structure made up of more than 2,700 individual paper tubes. Designed by Studio Gang, the installation is part of the museum’s Summer Block Party series, which invites architects to fill the building’s historic Great Hall with a temporary, immersive intervention.

Kengo Kuma & Associates has unveiled their design for the Odunpazari Modern Art Museum, currently under construction in Eskisehir, Turkey, a city well-regarded for its university and young, lively population. Borrowing from the scale and materiality of traditional Ottoman wooden houses, the museum seeks to become a new cultural venue that both stands out and integrates into the existing streetscape.

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Spring is finally here, which means over 100,000 people are making the trip to the California desert for the 2017 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. In addition to the top-billed musicians, the event has become known as a showcase for some of the best up-and-coming artists, designers and architects to work on a large-scale, instagram-friendly scene.

With the first weekend now in the books, we’ve rounded up some of the best art/architecture installations from this year’s festival.

The Noguchi Museum has selected architect John Pawson and painter Hiroshi Senju as the recipients of the 2017 Isamu Noguchi Award. Now in its fourth year, the annual award was established to honor individuals who “share Noguchi’s spirit of innovation, global consciousness, and commitment to East/West cultural exchange.”

The award is presented each year to one architect and one artist or designer, honoring the multi-faceted career of artist/architect Isamu Noguchi. Previous winners of the award have included Tadao Ando and Elyn Zimmerman in 2016; architect Yoshio Taniguchi and industrial designer Jasper Morrison (2015); and winners of the inaugural award, Norman Foster and artist Hiroshi Sugimoto (2014).