The Jakob-Park Stadium, home of FC Basel, is getting an update to extend its lifespan after 20 years of use. Originally designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the architecture reform aims to provide better hospitality to visitors by restructuring the access and optimizing security to keep the stadium open even on non-match days. The proposal also contemplates replacing the iconic facade with a sweeping roof to give the stadium a unified appearance and broadcast the events outside.
Renovation: The Latest Architecture and News
Herzog & De Meuron Updates the FC Basel Stadium in Switzerland
Sydney Opera House Reopens the Newly Renovated Concert Hall
The Sydney Opera House has reopened its largest performance space, the Concert Hall. Since the venue closed for renovations in February 2020, the space has undergone extensive renovations to improve the acoustic performance, enhance access for people with mobility needs, and upgrade the staging systems. The renovation process respects the original interiors, while better equipping the hall to present a wide range of performances. This is the largest and final project in the Opera House’s Decade of Renewal, a 10-year program of renovation works totaling almost $300 million to upgrade the World Heritage-listed monument ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2023.
Google to Move into Helmut Jahn's Postmodernist Thompson Center in Chicago by 2026
Google has just announced that the company plans to occupy the famous postmodernist icon, the Thompson Center, by 2026 after major renovations works. The building that was under threat of demolition for a while will be renovated by JRTC Holdings LLC and Jahn's architecture studio to meet Google’s needs for its flexible hybrid workforce and to accommodate the tech giant’s 1,800 employees in Chicago.
Allied Works Selected to Design the Vero Beach Museum of Art Expansion and Renovation Project
The Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA) in Florida has announced the appointment of Allied Works Architecture to lead the expansion and renovation project. The selection process took over nine months and it entailed a line-up of 13 national architectural firms and an eventual short-list. The winning design team will be led by Allied Works founder Brad Cloepfil and Principals Chelsea Grassinger and Gabe Smith. The expansion and renovation process is expected to be completed by 2026.
Powerhouse Company, Atelier Oslo and Lundhagem Win the Competition for the Rotterdam Central Library
The City of Rotterdam has selected Powerhouse Company, Atelier Oslo, Lundhagem to renew and extend the city’s Central Library, a landmark building from the early 1980s designed by Van den Broek & Bakema. The new design adopts the concept of radical reuse in order to transform a 1980s building into a contemporary library, well-adapted to the necessities of modern users. The team combines the expertise of Powerhouse Company, Atelier Oslo, and Lundhagem, the latter two offices being awarded in 2021 with the Public Library of the Year Award for their design of Oslo!s Deichman library. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be completed by the end of 2028, the year marking the building!s 45th anniversary.
The PILARES Program Seeks to Bring Beautiful Design to Mexico City’s Neglected Neighborhoods
Most visitors to Mexico City spend their time exploring tranquil, idyllic neighborhoods like Roma and Condesa, filled with quaint buildings, bustling pedestrian promenades, and cosmopolitan attractions. But life in the Mexican capital finds most of the population on the disadvantaged side of a vertiginous inequality, defined by meager wages, the looming threat of violence, and a glaring lack of public infrastructure. The government’s attempts to address the latter have often stumbled; it is common practice for projects that require architectural expertise to be assigned to building contractors, who produce layouts lacking in any design sensibility. This even though Mexico City now boasts one of the world’s most fertile design scenes and has a strong legacy of renowned architects working in tandem with the government to produce exceptional public works—from the urban housing projects of Mario Pani to the monumental buildings of Pedro Ramírez Vázquez.
Renovation of a Milan Laboratory to a Family Loft / Tomoarchitects
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Architects: Tomoarchitects
- Area: 300 m²
- Year: 2016
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Manufacturers: Caleido Ceasar, DGA Mirium, Devon & Devon, Enrico Cassina
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Professionals: Molteni Carlo & C snc
Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio Selected to Design UK's Barbican Centre Refurbishment
A collaborative design team led by Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio has been selected to renew the famed Barbican Centre in London, United Kingdom. The winning design proposal preserves the building’s original architectural language and provides new opportunities for the center's diverse community of artists, audiences, and partners, boosting the building’s accessibility and performance quality.
Foster + Partners Begins Work on San Francisco's Iconic Transamerica Pyramid Renovation
The Transamerica Pyramid, a landmark in the skyline of San Francisco, is undergoing a revitalization project led by Foster + Partners and luxury real estate developers SHVO. Built in 1972, the 48-story Brutalist-style project was designed by American architect William Pereira, and was the tallest building in San Francisco for nearly half a century. The renovation will be the largest in the building’s 50-year history, will also see the expansion and upgrade of the adjacent Three Transamerica (545 Sansome).
MVRDV Reveals Plans to Transform Palma de Mallorca's Cultural Neighbourhood
MVRDV, together with Spanish practice GRAS Reynés Arquitectos, is transforming the iconic El Terreno neighbourhood in Palma, Mallorca, into a vibrant residential area, through renovations and new additions. After decades of decline, a series of neighbouring plots in Plaza Gomila are to be redeveloped through a public-private venture, with the aim of restoring the essence of the bohemian neighbourhood. Each executed in a different colour and material, the seven diverse buildings form a recognisable district with a variety of typologies.
12 Chinese Home Remodeling Ideas: Solutions to Housing Problems
In 2014, a home reconstruction program called "Dream home" was launched in China, inviting architects and interior designers to redesign some old houses that have problems. Some of these homes are oddly shaped, some are tiny, and yet others have extremely inadequate lighting. The design concepts conveyed by the designers together in this program are respect for people, understanding human relationships, and the definition of home. These renovations or reconstructions are not just home updates for clients, but a reinterpretation of "home" that gives them a new life with dignity.
BIG, Adjaye Associates, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Asif Khan Studio Are Among the Shortlisted Practices for Barbican Centre's Refurbishment
The Barbican Centre is up for a substantial renovation, and the City of London Corporation revealed the five shortlisted teams for the refurbishment of the Brutalist icon, among which are practices like BIG, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Adjaye Associates or Asif Khan Studio. The cultural venue at the heart of the eponymous post-war housing estate in central London was the subject of an international competition aiming to preserve its heritage while upgrading the ageing structure to contemporary requirements and artistic aspirations.
MVRDV Renovates Existing Building Complex and Designs Two New Towers in Munich
MVRDV revealed its plans to redevelop a challenging site surrounded by roads in the south of Munich through a design that combines the renovation of an existing building complex with the addition of two-stepping towers. Retaining six of the nine existing blocks, the project expands the current programme and creates a new landmark for the neighbourhood while placing a green plaza at the heart of the development.
Hiroshi Sugimoto's Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Finally Receives Construction Approval
Following years of federal review, the National Capital Planning Commission has finally approved Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Sculpture Garden renovation proposal. Sugimoto’s redesign, which was proposed in Spring of 2019, transforms the Hirshhorn Museum into an accessible and inviting structure welcoming more than 30 million annual visitors. The design features flexible venues to welcome large-scale sculptures and time-based performances, and includes work on long-overdue repairs in the infrastructure.
SANAA to Design Extension of Moscow’s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
The Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, Russia has announced the construction of the Hexagon pavilion by SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates). The major architectural project will increase the museum’s physical footprint through the reconstruction of the Hexagon pavilion adjacent to its current home in Gorky Park, and will include a new public courtyard, exhibition spaces, and café, all designed around the "organics of presence, loyalty to the principles of sustainable consumption, and the creation of an accessible environment".
RIBA Announces First Two Projects Shortlisted for 2021 House of the Year
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the first two shortlisted projects for the 2021 House of the Year, an annual award that honors the best new architect-designed house or extension in the United Kingdom. The following two projects will be announced on November 24th, and the complete shortlist will be announced on December 8th, 2021, on UK's Channel 4.
The Incredible Opportunity of Community Schoolyards
A new report from The Trust for Public Land (TPL) makes a compelling case for transforming underperforming, paved public schoolyards into green oases for the entire community. While the benefits for schools and their educational communities are clear, TPL sees an opportunity to open up these facilities to surrounding neighborhoods after school hours, on weekends, and when school is out. If all 90,000 public schools in the country had a “community schoolyard,” more communities could tackle the persistent park equity issue — in which too few communities, particularly undeserved ones, enjoy access to nearby high-quality public green spaces. TPL argues that opening up all schoolyards, essentially turning them into part-time all-access community hubs, would “put a park within a 10-minute walk of nearly 20 million people — solving the problem of outdoor access for one-fifth of the nation’s 100 million people who don’t currently have a park close to home.”
National Library of France Finally Complete After a 10-Year-Long Renovation
Formerly known as the Bibliotheque du Roi, the Richelieu site of the National Library of France near the Palais-Royal has finally completed construction after almost 10 years of renovations. The transformation of the 300-year-old site included facade restorations, installation of an interior garden, and facilities maintenances, promoting innovation, modernity, and openness to a wider public. The project, which is both a library and a museum, will continue to house a massive campus for the history of the arts and heritage, and provide visitors with a place for walking, discovery, and exchange. The site is expected to be open to the public in summer of 2022.