At ArchDaily, we're lucky enough to know a fantastic network of architecture professionals, allowing us to share the world's best architecture with our audience. But our articles wouldn't be the same without the many photographers who dedicate themselves to making incredible, inspiring images. For that reason, here we present the 50 most popular architecture images of 2017.
The 50 Most Popular Architecture Photographs of 2017
Placemaking: Movement, Manifesto, Tool, Buzzword—or What?
Amongst other placemaking-related news this year, the Boston Society of Architects’ Placemaking Network celebrated its 10-year anniversary by launching the Placemaking Manifesto in November. Co-authored by Christina Lanzl, Robert Tullis, and Anne-Catrin Schultz, the document set down six key ideas: “quality of life,” “sense of place,” “community identification,” “collaboration and communication” between “individuals of all backgrounds, interests and talents,” “inclusivity” and “greater civic engagement,” and “awareness of tradition with an embracing of new and emerging technologies.” While the basic principles that placemaking espouses are often hard to question, this manifesto in particular begs one question: Is placemaking understood and defined clearly enough for it to be a useful tool for urbanists?
In the past decade or so, placemaking has gained considerable momentum, spewing forth an array of approaches, countless lists of best practices (including, in essence, this new manifesto), and complicated sub-categorizations. It is simultaneously a much-lauded global movement, an academic discipline, a field, discourse, process, and tool, but is also, among other charges, heavily criticized for being an “ill-defined buzzword.”
Maggie's Centre Barts / Steven Holl Architects
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Architects: Steven Holl Architects
- Area: 607 m²
- Year: 2017
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Professionals: Arup, L'Observatoire International, Butler & Young, Darren Hawkes Landscapes, Donald Insall Associates, +4
In Progress: Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU / Steven Holl Architects
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Architects: Steven Holl Architects
- Area: 41000 ft²
- Year: 2018
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Professionals: Theatre Projects, Robert Silman Associates, L'Observatoire International, Arup, OLDS, +1
The Cutting-Edge Materials Science Making Hurricane-Proof Construction Possible
This article was originally published on Autodesk's Redshift publication as "Hurricane-Proof Construction Methods Can Prevent the Destruction of Communities."
The four hurricanes that slammed into heavily populated areas from the Caribbean to Texas this summer are inching toward a half-trillion-dollar price tag in damages—to say nothing of the work and wages missed by shutting down entire cities. Buildings are the most visible marker of a place’s resilience after a disaster strikes. Surveying the catastrophic damage forces a difficult question: How can it be rebuilt better?
10 Incredible Works of Architecture Photographed in Fall: The Best Photos of the Week
September 22nd marked the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. This season of the year is excellent for architectural photography due to the effects of nature, which delights us with wonderful red and orange foliage. To mark the beginning of this season, we have created a selection of 10 works captured in fall by prominent photographers such as Francisco Nogueira, Jorge López Conde, and Steve Montpetit.
15 Facades That Push Conventional Limits: The Best Photos of the Week
New technological developments in construction have given architects great freedom when designing. Innovations in construction materials and their properties allow for the creation of increasingly original and surprising facades. The buildings constructed as a result can even inspire people to travel thousands of kilometers just to see these masterpieces. This week, we present 15 of most ground-breaking facades through photos by prominent photographers such as Paul Ott, Peter Bennetts and Laurian Ghinitoiu.
Zaryadye Park / Diller Scofidio + Renfro
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Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
- Area: 102000 m²
- Year: 2017
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Professionals: Arteza, Arup, Buro Happold, Directional Logic, MosInzhProekt, +2
Spotlight: Wang Shu
Wang Shu (born November 4, 1963) is a Hangzhou-based architect and dean at the China Academy of Art, known for his thoughtful resistance to what he considers “professionalized, soulless architecture.” His honoring of local tradition, environment, and craftsmanship saw him become the first Chinese citizen, and one of the youngest people overall, to receive the Pritzker Prize in 2012 for "an architecture that is timeless, deeply rooted in its context and yet universal.”
Diller Scofidio + Renfro Named WSJ's 2017 Architectural Innovator of the Year
The Wall Street Journal has selected New York-based firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro as their 2017 “Architecture Innovator of the Year.”
Led by partners Liz Diller, Ricardo Scofidio, Charles Renfro and Benjamin Gilmartin, over the past decade the firm has quickly grown from a largely conceptual practice focused on installations, performance and unbuilt works to a full-fledged, international office with completed and in-progress projects around the globe.
Moscow's Zaryadye Park Sees More Than One Million Visitors in Less Than A Month
Moscow welcomed its first new park in 50 years with the opening Zaryadye Park in mid-September. Designed by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Citymakers and Hargreaves Associates, this new public space has been a big draw for Muscovites, with over a million people visiting in the first weeks since its inauguration.
The park has become one of the most important contemporary spaces in Moscow, exhibiting high-quality infrastructure and landscapes, as well as extraordinary views to the Kremlin and the Red Square.
15 Incredible Photos of Architecture at Nighttime: The Best Photos of the Week
With Halloween just around the corner, this week we have prepared a special edition of Photos of the Week featuring nighttime images. Undoubtedly, this effect is among the most spectacular and difficult to achieve in architecture photography. Working in the absence of light is not a simple task for photographers, but by playing with the artificial lights in buildings (and, usually, some dramatic HDR effects) it is possible to achieve adequate exposure for incredible results. Below is a selection of 15 images from prominent photographers such as Ketsiree Wongwan, Laurian Ghinitoiu and Philippe Ruault.
The World's Most Expensive Buildings
If the Great Pyramid were to be built today, it would cost between 1.1 and 1.3 billion US dollars, according to a cost estimate by the Turner Construction Company—not surprising, considering how that is roughly the same amount of money that it took to build the Trump Taj Mahal or the Petronas Twin Towers. Complicated structural requirements, delayed work timelines, complex building programs, the need for good earthquake or typhoon proofing, the use of advanced mechanical and electronic systems, and costly materials and finishes can all add up to the eventual cost. But sometimes—and especially in cases in which governments or powerful clients set out to beat existing records such as the “tallest building in the world”—money is spent for no real reason except for an unabashed display of wealth, power or strength.
Emporis, the renowned global provider for building data, has compiled a list of the top 200 money-guzzlers from recent years, and not surprisingly, a lot of high-rises have made the list. Read on to see the top 20.
Michael Maltzan Architecture and UNStudio Headline 2017 Zumtobel Group Awards
Zumtobel Group has announced the 2017 winners of its Zumtobel Group Awards for architecture, which rewards the year's innovations which best promote "sustainability and humanity in the built environment." Leading the awards is Los Angeles-based firm Michael Maltzan Architecture whose Star Apartments project, which provides 102 homes for previously homeless individuals in LA, was awarded the prize in Zumtobel Group's Buildings category. Also winning prizes were UNStudio, Atelier TeamMinus, and Arturo Vittori. Read on for more details and the full list of winners and honorable mentions.
LEGO House / BIG
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Architects: Bjarke Ingels Group
- Area: 12000 m²
- Year: 2017
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Manufacturers: Hunter Douglas Architectural (Europe), Hunter Douglas
Bloomberg Center / Morphosis Architects
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa / Heatherwick Studio
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Architects: Heatherwick Studio
- Year: 2017
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Manufacturers: KEIM, Nuprotec
"Campus of the Digital Age": Cornell Tech Officially Debuts on Roosevelt Island in New York
The innovative Cornell Tech campus has officially opened on New York City’s Roosevelt Island. Master planned by SOM and featuring buildings and landscapes by Morphosis, Weiss/Manfredi, Handel Architects, and James Corner Field Operations, the campus represents a new vision of a campus for the digital age. Two years after breaking ground in 2015, the campus now houses some of the most environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient buildings in the world.