A series of recently announced projects across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America reflects an ongoing shift in architectural thinking toward approaches that integrate buildings with their landscapes, programs with public life, and design with long-term environmental goals. In Nantes, France, a healthcare campus redefines medical education through climate-conscious planning, while in San Antonio, Texas, a new arboretum transforms a former golf course into a research-driven public landscape. Residential towers are rising beside Bangkok's Lumphini Park, a new coastal community is underway in the UAE, and an expansion to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City reconsiders how cultural institutions connect with their surroundings. Together, these announcements point to a growing interest in projects that embed architecture within broader ecological and civic systems, proposing new models of spatial integration, accessibility, and resilience.
This week's curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights designs submitted by established architecture practices, featuring conceptual works, competition entries and projects in different stages of development. From a pollinator park designed for an EU initiative to a greenhouse residential project in Germany, to a museum in the Arctics or an innovative proposal for harvesting renewable energy in the Netherlands, the following showcases a variety of design approaches, programs and scales.
Featuring firms like Vincent Callebaut Architectures, 10 Design, Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, or Sweco, this week's selection of unbuilt projects highlights worldwide interventions that illustrate a variety of ideas, from new models for collective housing and community-living, to design for ecology and sustainability, to community-oriented cultural architecture.
This week's curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights different competition-winning designs submitted by the ArchDaily Community. From large scale commercial developments to cultural interventions in historical urban fabrics, from adaptive reuse projects with an environmental focus to educational facilities, this article showcases a variety of design approaches, programs and scales. The proposals featured are the results of local and international competitions, either creative concepts or projects currently in progress.
The award-winning entries include a range of different projects designed by both young architects and established firms. An adaptive reuse project of a fire station in Singapore, the redevelopment of an industrial site in South Korea, a mixed-use project in China or a museum in Italy are a few of this week's highlights.
Transformation of the brownfield area in Náchod city. Image Courtesy of LETO Architects
Urban design is increasingly striving for more inclusive, sustainable environments, bringing together various groups and activities, and fostering social interaction. This week's curated selection of the Best Unbuilt Architecture focuses on urban designs, large-scale urban development projects and masterplans submitted by the ArchDaily Community, showcasing how architects around the world work with and shape the urban fabric of highly diverse environments.
From the transformation of a brownfield into a lively neighbourhood in the Czech Republic to the redevelopment of Bergamo's city centre around new spatial and collective values, the following projects showcase the ideas shaping urban design, from functional diversity and notions of proximity to a focus on outdoor spaces. The common denominators of the following projects are their collective focus and the strong connection with the existing urban fabric.
Focusing on competition entries, this week’s curated selection of the best-unbuilt architecture draws from proposals submitted by the ArchDaily Community to highlight award-winning design across the globe. Made for diverse programming, the entries each explore how to build upon the identity of local sites to win their respective competition. Together, they showcase contemporary formal, spatial and conceptual approaches.
The award-winning entries include a range of different projects: a mixed-use redevelopment proposal for a post war suburb of Antwerp, a high-rise on the site of a historic former Police HQ building in downtown Frankfurt, a leafy urban heat island proposal in Abu Dhabi, and a ‘Ireland House’ in Tokyo, which will bring diplomats and state agency personnel together under one roof. These are but a few of the best unbuilt architecture this week.
10 Design has revealed images of its winning scheme for China Fortune’s 243,768sqm contemporary mixed-use destination. Part of the redevelopment vision of an old military airport in Nanjing, China, the project puts in place three interconnecting buildings linked by a sunken street, incorporating office, retail, and cultural spaces.
“A Country without Walls, a Future without Limits” is a proposal for an expo pavilion imagined by 10 DESIGN. Based on the ideas of communication, openness, hospitality, and change, the project puts in place a memorable experience for visitors.
10 DESIGN has created a new mixed-use development, the Sungang MixC Market Hall, in China. Currently under construction and scheduled for completion by 2022, the project, a retail, gastronomy and offices destination is located on a former industrial zone.
10 Design were announced as the winners of a competition to build an incubation center for start-up companies in the Jinwan Aviation District in Zhuhai, China. The Research & Development Center will accompany 10 Design’s other winning schemes for an International Commerce Center (twin tower with 127,000 square meters of office and hotel space) and Cultural Center (performance and exhibition space house in a 27,500 square meters building). The projects will be a part of Jinwan Aviation City, an ambitious development initiative to create a hub for major industry in Zhuhai, a city that is currently experiencing unprecedented growth.
International Architecture office 10 Design has released their first images of their Jefaira Seafront Development along Egypt’s North Coast. Spanning 550 hectares, the site stretches 3km along the Mediterranean coastline. The project is in collaboration with INERTIA, one of Egypt’s prominent real-estate developers leading various luxury residential and commercial developments across the country.
10 DESIGN has won a competition to design China Resources Land’s (CR Land) "Hengqin Wanxiang World," a 2.3 million square meter (25 million square foot) mixed used development to be located in Zhuhai, China. The complex will include destination retail locales centered around an “Experience Central Square,” which will serve as a venue for a variety of cultural and performance programs. Construction on the massive development is set to begin this month.
The design for the new Dalian Planning Museum by 10 Design in Dalian, China is envisioned to become a new civic sculpture at the heart of the city’s main governmental district. The building is part of the first steps made by the Planning Bureau to promote landmark architecture in Dalian with an additional seven municipal civil projects, including a library, scientific center, urban planning exhibition, museum, and teenage activity center. The Planning Building will serve as a modern, first-class venue for offices and exhibitions, and more importantly, an addition of cultural engagement for the public within the city. The museum is also designed to be an example of technological innovation and sustainable practices.
Follow us after the break to read about the building’s advanced technology.
The engaging and dynamic proposal for the Dalian Library by 10 design represents an attention for both an urban and internal connectivity. The library is intended to be a transformative environment that pulls visitors into a unique landscape. The building weaves into the ground creating a series of courtyards and topographic undulations- rooting itself, and then sweeping up into the air forming a bold urban landmark becoming a community center for the neighborhood. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Architectural firm 10 Design from Shanghai and Hong Kong is inviting anyone of all ages – architects, students artists, all who are interested – to take part at their recently started competition, Re-thinking Shanghai 2012.
10 Design architects has recently been awarded a 93 ha Masterplan for a CBD in Pingtan, a New Cross-Strait District for China and It’s Trading Partner, Taiwan. Pingtan is planned as a new commercial hub to drive communication and commercial trade between China and Taiwan. Part of the competition included the design of a new Cross Straits Forum including theatre, convention, exhibition and auxiliary commercial and cultural facilities. More images and project description after the break.
