revitalization: The Latest Architecture and News

Foster + Partners, led by Normal Foster, has just been selected to reimagine the Television City studio complex in Los Angeles, following a global competition. The project involves the restoration of William Pereira’s iconic 1952 buildings and the transformation of the 25-acre site into a low-rise multi-modal campus and draws inspiration from the Los Angeles’ renowned Case Study Houses. The campus will feature new sound stages, production offices, creative workspace, and retail surrounding its perimeter.

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The renowned Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has entrusted Sasaki with the task of designing a comprehensive design for Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Deemed a world heritage site, the location is a testament to the cultural and architectural legacy of the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, serving as his winter retreat and experimentation hub. The design seeks to pay homage to the heritage of Taliesin West while ensuring its longevity and relevance for generations to come.

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto will undergo an architectural transformation designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects. As one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada, the architects have transformed its ground floor and the Bloor Street entrance, introducing an interior plaza “pulsing with activity and artistic expression.” Dubbed OpenROM, this multifaceted endeavor aims to “open the museum up even more to the public,” revolutionizing the museum experience and making it more accessible for the 1.4 million annual visitors of the cultural institution.

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Last week, WXCA Architects unveiled the design for a new “green district of the future,” to be developed on a former FSO car factory site in Warsaw. Covering over 60 hectares, the project aims to accommodate more than 17,000 residents and provide employment for approximately 13,000 individuals by 2050. The Polish automotive FSO factory will be transformed, outlined in a master plan envisioning a multi-functional and environmentally conscious district.

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Diamond Schmitt and Lemay Michaud have just revealed the plans for a significant revitalization and expansion project for McGill University. Based at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital Site for the University, the project aims to create a sustainability research and innovation center. The New Vic project is slated to open its doors in 2027, breathing “new life” into several historically significant buildings.

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The Türkiye Design Council (TDC) has gathered 13 design practices, including Foster + Partners and Bjarke Ingels Group, to contribute to the revitalization of the historic province of Hatay, an area severely damaged by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February this year. Foster + Partners has been selected to lead the design and planning of the new master plan for the city of Antakya, known to antiquity as Antioch, while several other offices including Turkish practices DB Architects and KEYM (Urban Renewal Center) will work together to create a vision for the rebuilding of the city. The master plan is expected to be revealed in its entirety in 2024.

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The National Building Museum announced that Theaster Gates will be the 25th recipient of the Vincent Scully Prize. Initiated in 1999, the award serves as a recognition of excellence in the fields of design, architecture, historic preservation, urban design, encompassing practice, and criticism. Theaster Gates is an artist internationally renowned for his interdisciplinary blend of social performance, urban regeneration, and cultural activations.

Bez+Kock Architekten and Koeber Landschaftsarchitektur have won the competition for the Requalification of the Acropole of Byrsa and Rehabilitation of the National Museum of Carthage in Tunis project. An international jury, led by Alberto Veiga of Barozzi Veiga in Barcelona, has awarded the first prize to the studios based in Stuttgart, Germany, out of 94 design submissions for the competition.

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The year 2022 was marked by several socio-cultural and economic crises across the globe, from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the increasing cost of living worldwide, combined with a number of natural disasters such as the devastating floods in Pakistan and hurricane Ian in the US. In these difficult times, architects are stepping up and embracing their role in developing design-based solutions to humanitarian crises, ranging from temporary shelters and affordable housing schemes to centers for protecting at-risk groups such as homeless underage girls, children from low-income environments, or families in need of medical care.

This week's curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights projects submitted by the ArchDaily community that engage with their local communities, offering safe spaces for disadvantaged and at-risk groups. From a sanctuary for homeless girls in Iraq to an affordable housing project in Prague’s first skyscraper, this selection features projects centered around people, their needs, and desires. Many of the projects employ local materials such as clay bricks to lower the construction costs. They also reuse existing buildings and hope to engage the local community in building and appropriating the proposed spaces.

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The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has selected Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Selldorf Architects to jointly develop the modernization plan for the Hirshhorn Museum’s interior and plaza. As the first renovation in the last fifty years, the museum plans to upgrade its galleries and public spaces in order to fit the contemporary requirements of a public museum of modern art. It also represents a response to the increased attendance during the past five years. The federal contract was awarded following a competitive process by Smithsonian Facilities in consultation with the Hirshhorn. The concept design, to be submitted in 2023, will be subject to a public consultation process.

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Stockholm's Southeast Kungsholmen is slowly transforming. Veidekke and Utopia Arkitekter are preparing a redevelopment proposal for the town — and they're beginning by building an architectural gem. In addition to creating ambitious architecture, Utopia Arkitekter plans to add more housing developments closer to public transport. Their first project? The sector of Kungsholmen, Bolinders Plan, named after Jean Bolinder, who ran a mechanical workshop in the area.

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