A previous exploration of cultural landmarks in the Middle East designed by international architects highlighted recurring themes such as architecture as an extension of the landscape, climate-responsive design, and abstraction of traditional forms. These projects often introduced high-tech environmental solutions, used monumental forms to reinterpret local identity, or positioned themselves as landmarks within the broader urban or desert landscape. While these approaches have defined many of the region's most recognizable cultural institutions, they represent just one side of the architectural discourse. An equally significant yet distinct trajectory emerges from local architects, who work within existing structures, historical contexts, and lived environments to create institutions that feel deeply embedded in their surroundings. This approach prioritizes continuity, transformation, and accessibility, ensuring that architecture remains an evolving part of the cultural fabric rather than a self-contained object.
What urban and social transformations do our cities require today? How can urban planning and design contribute to improving the experience of their inhabitants in urban spaces? As Andreea Cutieru explains, urban acupuncture refers to the improvement of social and urban issues through precise interventions capable of revitalizing specific areas of cities and consolidating urban planning strategies. The +VIDA program represents a comprehensive strategy for urban and social transformation in territories, strategically focused on vulnerable populations in the Colombian Caribbean. It encourages the collective construction of cities through the exchange of knowledge, intelligence, and expertise, with the aim of transforming the habitat in an integrated manner.
Creating an atmosphere that enhances exhibitions and enriches the visitor and user experience requires a thoughtful balance between preserving a space's unique character and adapting it to meet the needs of artistic and cultural production. The challenge lies in maintaining a building's industrial atmosphere while accommodating the specific requirements of exhibition design or the various uses the new building will require. This delicate task involves careful consideration of spatial layout, material choices, and lighting solutions, all of which play a significant role in shaping the new environment.
The Winter Stations annual design competition celebrates its 11th edition in 2025. The competition challenges international artists and designers to reimagine lifeguard stations as captivating, interactive art installations. Designed to harmonize with the environment at Woodbine Beach in Toronto, Canada, these installations encourage immersive engagement with art in a public space, offering a transformative experience. Following its 10th anniversary in 2024, Winter Stations introduced an additional challenge, inviting participants to consider the future of the stations and their evolving relationship with the public and the environment. The theme for the 2025 edition, Dawn, calls on designers to explore how the stations can adapt, grow, and transform in the coming years.
In recent weeks, a series of notable architectural projects have been announced, reflecting a broad spectrum of design approaches aimed at enhancing urban life, infrastructure, and environmental sustainability. From cultural venues to large-scale masterplans and infrastructural advancements, these developments highlight how architecture continues to shape cities and communities. Among them, Knight Architects' Kruunusillat Bridge in Helsinki marks a milestone as Finland's tallest and longest bridge, designed to support sustainable mobility. Meanwhile, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield's masterplan for Croydon sets out a vision for a vibrant mixed-use district, integrating historic preservation with contemporary urban renewal. At Kew Gardens, Mizzi Studio's Carbon Garden introduces a new permanent installation that explores carbon cycles through landscape design. This collection of recent announcements underscores the evolving priorities in architecture, from connectivity and urban regeneration to climate-conscious interventions.
Architecture is often defined by its physical form, materials, and structural elements, but light and shadow truly shape the experience of space. These elements influence perception, guide movement, and evoke emotional responses, transforming static structures into dynamic environments. Throughout history, architects have harnessed the interplay of light and shadow, using it as a fundamental design tool to create atmosphere and meaning.
Through the post-war 20th century, the Global South saw much influence from foreign architects, often invited by local governments to bring their expertise and visionary thinking. Sought as a symbol of modernity, buildings designed by "starchitects" elevated the image of nations. Decades later, as local industries advance in capabilities, the desire for foreign talent continues to exist. Is this a natural result of globalization or is the continued presence of international architects in the Global South a persistent dependency?
Buildner has released the results of its Pape Info PointCompetition, organized in partnership with The Latvia Programme of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Latvia) which focuses on environmental conservation, biodiversity protection, and sustainable resource management in Latvia.
This international competition invited architects and designers to propose a new visitor information point for Pape Nature Park, a protected area on Latvia's Baltic coast. Participants were challenged to design a structure that enhances the park's role in conservation and ecotourism while blending harmoniously with the surrounding landscape. The goal was to create an engaging and educational space that informs visitors about the park's rich biodiversity, migratory bird populations, and unique ecosystems while maintaining a minimal environmental footprint.
Now in its 18th edition, the Sony World Photography Awards serve as a global platform for both established and emerging artists, offering an annual glimpse into contemporary photography. This free-to-enter competition provides exposure across 10 categories, including Architecture, Landscape, Travel, and Street Photography. Each category awards a winner, features a shortlist of selected works, and culminates in the title of Open Photographer of the Year. For the 2025 Open competition, participants were invited to submit their strongest single images from 2024, with a focus on capturing and distilling a singular moment while evoking a broader narrative.
Thomas Heatherwick has been appointed as the General Director and curator of the 2025 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. In its fifth edition, the Seoul Biennale serves as a platform for addressing urban challenges faced by major global cities, fostering innovative solutions and public discussions around architecture and urbanism. As Asia's largest architecture biennale, scheduled to take place from September 1 to October 31, 2025, the exhibition will focus on making cities more joyful, engaging, and radically human-centered. At the heart of this mission is an ambitious public engagement program that directly involves citizens in shaping the Biennale. Through an open call, ten multidisciplinary teams, comprising architects, urban planners, sculptors, community organizers, metalworkers, and textile designers, have been selected to collaborate with local communities. These projects will respond to two central questions: How do buildings make people feel? And how can they be transformed to foster a deeper sense of connection?
For nearly the past two decades, cities around the world embraced "starchitecture"—futuristic, eye-catching buildings designed by globally renowned architects. In China, this trend was particularly pronounced as rapid urbanization fueled the construction of iconic megastructures like Zaha Hadid's Galaxy SOHO, OMA's CCTV Headquarters, and Herzog & de Meuron's Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing. At the time of their construction, these were all celebrated as symbols of progress and global ambition. However, architecture worldwide has begun shifting toward a more context-driven, human-centered approach, with China emerging as one of the key contributors to this transformation. This year, Liu Jia Kun's 2025 Pritzker Prize further underscores that shift.
To a first-time visitor, Mumbai presents itself as a kaleidoscope of sensory overload. Architecturally, the peninsula city is host to numerous styles. Mumbai's architectural identity emerges from centuries of cultural exchange and colonial influence. What makes the experience unlike that of other historical cities is the density and the proximity in which juxtapositions occur.
"Feeling at home" is more than just an expression—it is the sense of warmth and comfort that transforms a space into a true refuge. To achieve this, elements like color, texture, lighting, and materials play a crucial role in shaping an environment that fosters relaxation and well-being. Backed by research in environmental psychology and neuroscience, the connection between physical spaces and human behavior highlights how architecture can directly influence the atmosphere, turning chaos into tranquility.
Buildner in collaboration with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), invites architects, designers, and visionaries worldwide to participate in theDubai Urban Elements Design Challenge. This international competition seeks innovative designs for small-scale architectural elements that enhance public spaces and contribute to Dubai's evolving urban identity.
In 2016, an international public architecture competition was announced to design a new administrative center for the Czech Forestry Commission. The new building would replace the existing headquarters on the outskirts of Hradec Králové, a medieval city surrounded by municipal forests on its eastern limit. CHYBIK+KRISTOF's 'Forestry in the Forest' project was selected as the winning proposal in 2017 after a two-round anonymous competition. Now, seven years after the competition, the firm has revealed images and plans for what is set to become the largest wooden structure in the Czech Republic. The design is characterized by establishing a permanent relationship with the surrounding landscape and by seeking to exemplify the benefits of timber construction for the local industry.
At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2025, the Lebanese Pavilion, curated by the Collective for Architecture Lebanon (CAL), presents "The Land Remembers," an exploration of ecocide and environmental healing. Selected by Lebanon's Ministry of Culture and the Lebanese Federation of Engineers, CAL is a non-profit organization co-founded in 2019 by Shereen Doummar, Edouard Souhaid, Elias Tamer, and Lynn Chamoun. Their curatorial vision aims to transform the pavilion into a fictional institution, the Ministry of Land Intelligens, dedicated to confronting environmental devastation and proposing strategies for ecological restoration.
What is our vision of public spaces from the past? Consider, for instance, a park—arguably the most iconic example of this typology. It is an environment designed with winding paths and rest areas, where we often find tables and fixed benches, positioned along the way. Its design prioritizes permanence and contemplation. But when we turn to the present, how do we envision it now? Indeed, the traditional concept of public space has not disappeared entirely. However, our way of interacting with it has changed, driven by the need for flexibility in ever-changing environments. This shift has sparked the exploration of new design approaches. As a result, modular seating systems have become a dynamic field of experimentation, continuously adapting to changing uses and perceptions.
https://www.archdaily.com/1027386/are-modular-seating-systems-redefining-our-perception-of-public-spacesEnrique Tovar
Architecture evolves, particularly in how it reflects the relationships between people, their behavior, and the environment. Even subtle variations in these dynamics can influence how we think and live in our communities. According to the World Bank, 56% of the population currently lives in urban environments, and it is estimated that by 2050 this number will reach 70%. This projection echoes the speed and magnitude of urban growth, posing challenges for architects and design firms, from the viability of buildings to the sustainability of the built environment, encompassing residential architecture and other typologies that influence daily life.
https://www.archdaily.com/1027788/case-studies-in-community-centered-living-innovative-residential-designEnrique Tovar
The Bulgarian contribution to the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale is an experimental installation titled Pseudonature, situated at the intersection of nature and technology, reality and simulation. Curated by architect and designer Iassen Markov, the project explores the future of sustainability in a world where natural processes are increasingly mediated by artificial intelligence and human intervention. The exhibition features an outdoor installation that exposes technological and climate paradoxes and an interior space designed as a reimagined traditional Bulgarian room. Outside, physical interventions disrupt natural balances, highlighting the fragile interplay between technology and the environment. Inside, the space shifts to a setting for contemplation, where restoring equilibrium becomes a collective and introspective challenge.
Heatherwick Studio has been selected to lead the redesign of the Coex Convention Centre in Seoul, following a competition aimed at reimagining the building's purpose and facade. In collaboration with the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), the studio's proposal seeks to transform the convention centre into a more open and inviting public space that reflects Seoul's evolving identity.
In March 2025, the actor Adrian Brody rose to the stage to collect his Academy Award for playing the role of László Toth in the acclaimed film, The Brutalist. The film is about a Bauhaus-educated architect who escaped Nazi Germany in the 1930s for the United States. Whilst the story is fictional, it reflects the lives of several émigré architects who left Central Europe in search of better working and intellectual conditions. These included the first three directors of Bauhaus, the renowned German school of design established in 1919. The first and third directors of the school, Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe respectively, ended up in the US where their careers in teaching and building both flourished. Lesser known is the second director, Hannes Meyer, who took a different path from his colleagues.
I love putting together lists of original manifesto-like statements by architects perpetually searching for breaking new ground. They provoke us to imagine possibilities we haven't dared to consider before. Questioning conventions should be a critic's primary objective to engage in a conversation with a creative. Otherwise, what is there to discuss, really? That's why speaking with Elizabeth Diller about her studio's work and intentions is like a breath of fresh air, especially nowadays when so many architects are happy to align themselves in pursuing what's expected. In one of our previous conversations, Diller put it bluntly: "We don't take professional boundaries seriously. Every time we are handed a program, we tear it apart and continuously ask new questions. Nothing is fixed." This time, we spoke about Diller Scofidio + Renfro's new monograph, "Architecture, Not Architecture." The book, a project in itself, aims to rethink the very limits of architecture. It reinvents what a book can be in the process. During our 1-1/2-hour discussion over Zoom, which I prefer for its frontal dual recording, she said eagerly, "We were always critiquing; we were always throwing grenades at things."
Metal roofs have a long history dating back to ancient civilizations, with early examples found in Roman and Byzantine architecture, where copper and lead sheets were used for durability and weather resistance. During the 19th century, advances in industrial manufacturing led to the widespread adoption of corrugated iron and steel roofing, which became popular for their strength, affordability, and ease of installation. Today, modern metal roofing systems use materials such as aluminum, galvanized steel, and zinc, offering superior performance against extreme weather conditions, fire resistance, and energy efficiency. These surfaces can be designed in various profiles, including standing seam, corrugated, and metal shingles, allowing for aesthetic flexibility and structural integrity. Additionally, reflective coatings and insulation options contribute to energy savings, making metal roofs a preferred choice for sustainable and long-lasting building solutions.
Historically, public bathing was a fundamental necessity for hygiene, giving rise to communal bathhouses in regions where private bathrooms were a rarity. In Japan, for instance, sento bathhouses emerged during the early Edo period, serving as essential facilities when most households lacked their own bathing spaces. Similarly, in other parts of the world where plumbing and water management were considered luxuries, shared public baths became vital components of urban life. Over time, these spaces evolved beyond their functional role, becoming venues for socializing, relaxation, and a temporary escape from daily routines.
However, in the modern era, private bathrooms have become ubiquitous in contemporary homes, effectively addressing the hygiene concerns that once made public bathhouses indispensable. With the rise of alternative social spaces—cafés, fitness centers, bars, and jazz lounges—the traditional communal bath no longer serves the same essential function. While some may still appreciate the social aspect of public bathing, the inconvenience of changing clothes and getting wet in front of strangers can deter many from engaging in the experience.
