As cultural institutions advanced major preservation projects and new demographic data reframed understandings of urban growth, this week's architectural discussions centred on how cities and museums adapt to evolving social, environmental, and infrastructural conditions. Efforts to safeguard modern heritage, developments in long-term urban planning, and reflections on architectural legacy intersect with global observances such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, highlighting the ongoing need for more inclusive and accessible environments within the built landscape.
Heritage, Museums, and Cultural Infrastructure
In the United States, the Mississippi Museum of Art announced the acquisition of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fountainhead Residence, integrating the Usonian home into its public programming and long-term preservation strategy. Designed in the early 1950s, the residence exemplifies Wright's approach to organic architecture through its geometry, material palette, and relationship to the landscape. By preparing the property for guided tours and future restoration work, the Museum reinforces a growing institutional interest in treating modern domestic architecture as part of the public cultural realm.
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In Abu Dhabi, Foster + Partners' Zayed National Museum opened to the public, adding a new institutional anchor to Saadiyat Island's cultural district. Defined by its five steel towers that function as thermal chimneys, the museum combines passive environmental strategies with a series of suspended galleries and landscaped outdoor spaces. Its opening program underscores the UAE's continued investment in cultural infrastructure and public engagement. The week also marked the passing of Robert A.M. Stern, whose contributions as an architect, educator, and historian shaped architectural discourse over several decades, leaving a significant legacy in both built work and scholarship.
Urban Growth, Demographics, and Large-Scale Development
New data from the United Nations placed Jakarta as the world's most populous city under a revised geospatial methodology, highlighting both the scale of demographic growth and the infrastructural pressures faced by rapidly expanding metropolitan regions. Issues such as land subsidence, mobility challenges, and environmental vulnerability continue to inform long-term planning discussions in Indonesia and beyond.
These themes of transformation resonate with urban developments in Greece, where large-scale projects such as the Ellinikon master plan are reshaping coastal and metropolitan areas. Positioned on the former Athens airport site, the project integrates housing, cultural venues, commercial programs, and extensive public space, reflecting new priorities around climate-responsive design and interconnected urban districts. Comparable initiatives in Thessaloniki, Piraeus, and other regions show a broader national shift toward regeneration, adaptive reuse, and improved public-realm strategies.
Coinciding with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, this week has also renewed attention to accessibility within the built environment. While regulatory frameworks have supported improvements in many public buildings, challenges remain across residential settings, mobility networks, and everyday urban spaces. Recent discussions emphasised the need for design approaches that address diverse bodies and abilities, linking accessibility to broader conversations about social participation and urban equity.
On the Radar
"In Transit: A Nomadic Library" Presented at NOMAD Abu Dhabi 2025
Mira Hawa Projects, Studio Etienne Bastormagi, and Dongola Limited Editions have presented "In Transit: A Nomadic Library" during NOMAD Abu Dhabi 2025, installing a modular, mobile library within the departure hall of Terminal 1. Conceived as part of a growing series of traveling libraries, the installation draws from airport spatial language and industrial materiality, using brushed and perforated aluminum to reference regional aviation infrastructure. The structure unfolds into three elements: a vertical totem, horizontal plane, and diagonal cascade, forming reading spaces and display surfaces for Dongola's Architecture Series and limited-edition artist books. Positioned as a "migratory architecture," the project explores themes of mobility, memory, and cultural exchange, framing books as physical archives that move across contexts while maintaining their material presence.
CEBRA Designs Mass-Timber Innovation Campus for The LEGO Group in Billund
CEBRA has revealed plans for a new 50,000-square-meter Innovation Campus for The LEGO Group in Billund, designed as a mass-timber headquarters supporting 1,700 employees across product development, marketing, gaming, engineering, and quality teams. Commissioned by KIRKBI as part of a one-team workplace strategy, the project combines modular architecture with low-carbon construction and extensive user-driven spatial planning. Six building modules are linked by the "PlayWay," a continuous circulation spine intended to promote informal interaction and collaborative exchange. Each module features its own atrium and thematic identity, with flexible layouts designed to adapt over time. The campus will also house the world's largest library of LEGO bricks, around 20,000 elements in 70 colors, reflecting the brand's hands-on approach to creative work.
Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY Completes "Pier 865" in Knoxville, Tennessee
Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY has completed Pier 865, a new public artwork commissioned by the City of Knoxville for the Cradle of Country Music Park. The structure combines a cast-in-place concrete pier with an aluminum canopy composed of hundreds of pre-folded, gradient-painted strips, creating an immersive, walk-through installation that offers panoramic views over the park's tree canopy. Supported on five slender legs, the canopy forms three cantilevered wings, spaces for gathering, performance, and quiet observation. The piece continues Knoxville's tradition of integrating public art into civic landscapes while highlighting the studio's ongoing exploration of lightweight fabrication, computational design, and experiential structures.
This article is part of our new This Week in Architecture series, bringing together featured articles this week and emerging stories shaping the conversation right now. Explore more architecture news, projects, and insights on ArchDaily.
