Produce personalized presentation boards that distill complex concepts into simple visual representations with a few helpful tools and effects.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has added two new projects to its shortlist for the 2021 International Prize, a prestigious biennial award that celebrates the world’s best new projects that “champion buildings that change the world and positively impact the community around them". The jury has previously selected two buildings, and will complete the full list of 16 projects from 11 countries in the upcoming weeks. The winning project will be announced on Thursday 2nd December.

The 2021 edition of Dutch Design Week (DDW) that took place in October in Eindhoven brought forward a range of explorations and innovative ideas that have the potential of shaping a positive future in the direction of less waste and sustainable consumption. As part of the programme, the Future Cities talk discussed the challenges faced by urban environments and addressed the potential of carefully considered inward growth and densification in tackling housing shortage and achieving sustainable development.

In collaboration with architecture practice Hassell, Architectural Association's Association's Emergent Technologies and Design (EmTech) programme created a reclaimed wood pavilion, exploring the convergence of computational design, new construction technologies, and material reuse. Titled Re-Emerge, the project addresses the issue of limited material resources, exploring the architectural potential of material recycling in the context of generative design.

+ 3

Category winners of The Architecture Drawing Prize 2021 will be announced online on Tuesday 30 November, starting at 17:00 GMT. The announcement will be broadcast as part of the World Architecture Festival and streamed live on ArchDaily’s Facebook page.

The Urban Conga has collaborated with HIVE Public Space and Long Island City Partnership on a new urban intervention titled "Ribbon", a vibrant and interactive installation for people to connect, share, and learn about each other's experiences in Long Island City, New York. Each unit includes kinetic pieces that rotate, reflecting the surrounding context and revealing different love notes written by locals to the city.

+ 15

EU Pavilion, a research practice exploring the relationship between architecture and European institutions, presents eight proposals for the first European Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. European architectural and artistic practices were invited by curators Anna Livia Friel, Marco Provinciali, Benjamin Gallegos Gabilondo, Nicolò Ornaghi and Francesco Zorzi to reimagine the national pavilion, the defining spatial and symbolic paradigm of the Biennale. The speculative project aims to explore architecture’s potential in supporting the European project and helping define the identity of this culturally diverse transnational organization.

+ 3

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".

Despite a year-long postponement and strict pandemic regulations, the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia has finally come to an end with over 300,000 visitors, exceeding the previous edition. Titled "How Will We Live Together", the 2021 edition of the event featured 112 participants and 60 national participations hailing from 46 countries, displayed across the Giardini, Arsenale, and the streets of Venice from May 22nd to November 21st, 2021. UAE's Wetland by curators Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto took home the Golden Lion for Best National Participation, for presenting an innovative contextual alternative to cement, one of the key emitters of the world's carbon dioxide.

+ 7

The first phase of the POST Houston redevelopment project is nearing completion, and the finished areas are now open to the public. Through adaptive reuse and precise interventions, Jason Long and OMA New York have transformed the historic Post Office mail sorting warehouse into a new public destination and cultural venue for Houston, featuring a diverse collection of programs meant to evolve and adapt to the needs of the city.

+ 19

OF.studio has unveiled the design of PZ Torre Residencial, a residential building within the Zapata Palace in Mendoza, Argentina, seeking to recreate the traditional courtyard of Cuyanas houses, a common style in northern Argentina.

In this episode of Design and the City - a podcast by reSITE on how to make cities more liveable – scholar, writer and consultant Tim Gill, author of Urban Playground: How Child-Friendly Planning and Design Can Save Cities, talks about the importance of designing cities that can foster play and empower children autonomy, as a way of creating inclusive urban environments fit for all ages and abilities. Gill argues for enhancing children's everyday freedom and discusses his research into ideas and principles that would make neighbourhoods rich in experiences in possibilities, which he defines as child-friendly urban planning.

In architecture and interior design, ceilings are fundamental elements that combine functionality with aesthetic features such as colors, textures, and materials. While providing quality and comfort, unique and well-thought ceilings can create a dramatic visual impact, defining a building’s tone and character. However, even though a room’s “fifth wall” is a crucial design component, it is not frequently emphasized in architectural projects – or not nearly as much as decor, furniture, wallpaper, or other elements that define interior ambiance. It is therefore important to explore the numerous creative opportunities that a ceiling can offer, beyond the typical plain white shade that continues to dominate in most interior spaces.

MVRDV has revealed "O", one of four letter-shaped apartment buildings that spell out the word HOME in Franklin Mitte, Mannheim. The 15-storey residential building features a brightly colored structure with 120 apartments, commercial spaces, and a terrace, and is part of Franklin Mitte's complete master plan transformation.

+ 8

Farshid Moussavi Architecture has recently revealed the design for the Ismaili Center in Houston, a project dedicated to cultural exchanges and civic outreach. An ambassadorial building for the largest Ismaili Muslim community in the United States, the new building will host educational, cultural and social events, while also providing a space for contemplation and prayer. The design showcases a contemporary image while reinterpreting traditional Persian elements, thus establishing a dialogue between tradition and modern architecture.

The European Commission's New European Bauhaus has announced the winners of the 2021 edition at the Ateliers des Tanneurs in Brussels, Belgium.

According to the organization, the main objectives have been to recognize current achievements and help the younger generation to continue developing emerging concepts and ideas that illustrate three values: sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion. Accordingly, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has stated that "these projects give a lot of hope for our fight against climate change and the European Green Deal."

Zaha Hadid Architects' Hollywood-inspired Studio City Phase 2 has reached its full height of construction. Located in the Cotai district of Macau, the resort expansion was assigned to Zaha Hadid Architects back in 2017, featuring new leisure, entertainment, and hospitality facilities, including one of Asia’s largest indoor & outdoor water parks. The project was named winner of the ‘Regional Award Asia’ at the BREEAM Awards 2021, and is set to be complete in December 2022.

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.

+ 2

Videos

Canada's Department of National Heritage has announced the five finalists for the LGBTQ2+ National Monument competition, a project meant to honour the community and recall its oppression during the LGBT Purge period. Among the shortlisted designs is SOM's proposal, consisting of an array of flagpoles stripped of their flags, symbolising the trauma, deprivation of culture and concealment of identity that the LGBTQ2+ community was experienced. Designed in collaboration with Rebecca Belmore, Noam Gonick, and HTFC Planning & Design, the design titled Bapiiwin, meaning survival /overcoming in native Ojibwe, seeks to provide a space of remembrance while serving as a symbol of resilience.

Led by American Lebanese architect Hashim Sarkis, the jury of the global Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction has announced the winners of the sixth edition of the global competition at a handover ceremony at the 2021 Venice Biennale in Italy.

Sou Fujimoto Architects has unveiled its design for the Hida Takayama University, a new academic institute tucked in a small rural area of Japan. The project aims to revitalize the rural areas which are often overlooked, especially by academic institutes, and nurture the sense of community and appreciation of the rich culture provided by nature. The design features an organic-shaped structure inspired the surrounding landscape and a walkable roof. The university is set to open in 2024, and will be followed by 11 other regional learning centers across the country.

Videos

Canada’s Department of National Heritage has announced the five finalists for the LGBTQ2+ National Monument competition, a project meant to tell the story of generations of people who have been persecuted, specifically during the LGBT Purge period. Among the shortlisted designs is The Lens, a proposal that turns a symbol of oppression into an identity element and uses the landscape to express the community’s reverberation into society. Designed by a team comprising Canadian office Fathom studio, MVRDV and Two Row Architect, the proposal seeks to express resiliency, creating a space for memorialization and education while providing an inclusive space for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.

Following several years of preparation, Taipei Fine Arts Museum announces the start of its two-phase expansion project titled Out of Bounds: TFAM Expansion. Construction on a new collections vault began in October of this year, and an open call for architectural proposals for another new museum building will be launched in January 2022. The Museum was completed in 1983 and together with the new collection storage area and a second building, it will gradually expand Taiwan's contemporary art vista.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced its shortlist for the 2021 International Prize, a prestigious biennial award that celebrates the world’s best new projects that “champion buildings that change the world and positively impact the community around them". The jury has selected three projects from a list of 16 projects in 11 countries, and will announce the winner on Thursday 2nd December.

+ 8