Community development proposals in Disney World come from back days. One of Walt Disney's last visionary projects was the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT), a center for American enterprise and urban living. Disney advocated that the problems of cities were the most critical issues facing society and planned a city that could develop in a controlled manner, contrary to the urban expansion in the USA during the first half of the last century. After Disney died in 1966, the "EPCOT" concept was abandoned as the company was uncertain about the feasibility of operating a city. Fifty- five years later, after a thorough search, Walt Disney World chose The Michaels Organization for its experience in building and managing attainable housing communities.
333 Kingsland Road & Hackney New Primary School / Henley Halebrown Architects. Image Courtesy of Henley Halebrown Architects
In an age where we have been going from hyperrealistic renders to digital models to the realm of the metaverse, physical architectural models have almost become a thing of the past. Nonetheless, whether it's to showcase the final project or to be used as a tool to explore different solutions to the same problem during the design phase, some architects still consider physical models part of their design process.
With the end of 2022 just around the corner, we have decided to look back at all the architectural models from the projects published this year on ArchDaily. The following selection, grouped into section models, abstract models, intricate models, interactive models, and models that use unconventional materials, lists the best of this year's physical models by our community.
As we wrap up 2022, we take a look back at how this year introduced new adaptations to the way we live, work, and interact with our built environment, especially after emerging from years of unprecedented changes. One way to describe this year's design identity is that there isn't one. Going through this transitional period, inspiration came from foreign travels, immersive virtual worlds, being one with the planet and the serenity that came with it, platforms that promote expressionism and individuality, and a trend-setting generation known for its bold perspectives.
David Adjaye, in partnership with Bedrock and the city of Cleveland, unveiled the masterplan for the Cuyahoga Riverfront, a 15-to-20-year vision that will transform 35 acres of the riverfront to improve accessibility, equity, sustainability, and resilience of the downtown area. The design embraces the city’s rich history and connection to nature and creates a sustainable infrastructure that prioritizes pedestrian movement and activates open public spaces. David Adjaye, a British-Ghanian architect, has been awarded Britain’s Order of Merit, making him the fifth architect to be appointed the honor.
The Royal Institute of British Architects has awarded RIBA House of the Year 2022, to a "contemporary new family house in rural Dorset," the Red House by David Kohn Architects. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, the structure "reinterprets the style in an intentionally provocative way [...] [with] playful eccentricity, including oversized eaves, patterned red brickwork, and contrasting bold green details".
Across Europe, more and more companies are investing in refurbishment. Hoteliers are increasingly seeking out creative design solutions to develop more creative, unique offerings. Airports and train stations are hiring passenger experience experts to create more human centric design solutions. Companies are downsizing physical offices, while exploring ways to enhance remote workplace culture. Employees are prioritizing meaningful work, smaller teams, and opportunities to collaborate, coach, develop skills and get inspired.
And as the line between the physical and digital world is increasingly blurred, a future of interacting in virtual spaces like the Metaverse is quickly becoming a reality.
Quito-based developer Uribe Schwartzkopf unveiled two residential projects in the capital of Ecuador: IQON designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, and QORNER, by Safdie Architects. IQON represents BIG’s first project in South America and the tallest building in Quito. QORNER proposes a mix of residences of varying dimensions, complete with amenities such as private terraces, gyms, spas, and pools. To create an engaging interface with the city fabric, a mix of shops, restaurants, and commercial spaces are proposed at the street level.
Zaha Hadid Architects and Architects 61 unveiled the design for the new Science Center in the Jurong Lake District, Singapore. The 52,460 square meters complex aims to make science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) more accessible through specialized amenities, educational programs, and interactive experiences. The building is expected to open in 2027, which also marks the 50th anniversary of the Science Center and aligns with the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
Empatitzem / Equal Saree. Image Cortesía de Equal Saree
Equal Saree is an architecture studio based in Barcelona, led by three young architects: Helena Cardona Tamayo, Julia Goula Mejón, and Dafne Saldaña Blasco. All three studied at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB), Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, where they met while taking the subject "Architecture and Politics", taught by Zaida Muxí and Josep María Montaner. The studio is composed of 15 other women architects, in addition to the founding partners.
Annabelle Tan (Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL) for Past, Present and Post-Tropicality: Viewing Singapore through an ‘Infra(-)structural’ Field. . Image Courtesy of RIBA 2022 President’s Medals
The Royal Institute of British Architects has just announced the winners of the 2022 President’s Medals, highlighting the world’s best student architecture projects. In its 186th edition, RIBA’s oldest awards have gathered the highest-ever number of entries, receiving 347 entries nominated by 100 schools of architecture located in 27 countries.
For the 2022 cycle, the RIBA Silver Medal for the best design project produced at RIBA Part 2 or equivalent, was awarded to Annabelle Tan at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, for A Journey through Past, Present, and Post-Tropicality, who was also granted the RIBA Dissertation Medal. The RIBA Bronze Medal (for the best design project produced at RIBA Part 1 or equivalent) went to Mary Holmes at the University of Cambridge for Out of the Closet, Into the Garden.
Largely driven by rural migration to cities and overall population growth, 68% of people worldwide will live in urban areas by 2050. By doing so, many will benefit from greater access to basic services, proximity to public transportation, and better education and employment opportunities. But the pursuit of living urbanized lives also leads to isolation from the outdoors –be it a forest, a meadow or the mountains– that can negatively impact our physical and mental health. Exposure to nature has long been proven to reduce stress levels, boost mood, foster productivity and, above all, enhance well-being. So, considering we typically spend around 93% of our time indoors (and that the pandemic has magnified that statistic), now more than ever we find ourselves seeking a connection with the outdoors and all its inherent benefits. Architects thus face the important challenge of bringing nature in, which is precisely where biophilic design comes into play.
As expressed by 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale curator and architect Leslie Lokko, "after two of the most difficult and divisive years in living memory, architects have a unique opportunity to show the world what we do best: put forward ambitious and creative ideas that help us imagine a more equitable and optimistic future in common."
From Venice's approach to Africa as the lab for the future to Seoul's road to its next 100 years as a megapolis; from Chicago's art-meets-architecture-meets-civic-participation to Sharjah's "beauty of impermanence" in the Global South motto, 2023 will witness a series of architectural events trying to embody those forward ambitious and creative ideas, as explained by Lokko.
Austria – Designed by Büro Wagner – Made by Bau- und Möbelschreinerei Leutenbauer / Photography by Florian Holzherr . Image
This year saw another round of amazing submissions for the FritsJurgens Best Pivot Doors 2022, with an astonishing amount of high-end pivot doors collected – both for interior and exterior doors, movable walls, hidden passages, and more. After a period of deliberation, the jury has made their decision: take a look below at the winners of FritsJurgens Best Pivot Doors of 2022.
CRA - Carlo Ratti Associati and architect Italo Rota have developed a project to transform an 18th-century hospital complex in Modena, Italy, into a multidisciplinary cultural and innovation hub. The master plan for the new hub, called AGO Modena Fabbriche Culturali, includes an origami-inspired kinetic roof designed in collaboration with artist-engineer Chuck Hoberman. The feature will cover a triangular-shaped plaza in the center of the complex. The restoration plan also aims to create flexibility so that the structure can easily adapt to changing future configurations.
Rock | Roll by Germane Barnes. Image Courtesy of Miami Design District
Distinguished for its quality, depth, and diversity, Design Miami 2022 has concluded, giving worldwide collectors and locals the best in contemporary and emerging art and design. Kicking off at the end of November and running through the first week of December, this event ran alongside the annual Art Basel Miami Beach. The ultimate international art fair ranged from interactive installations to art exhibitions by promising up-and-comers to 20th-century masterworks, including Daniel Arsham and Andrés Reisinger, and Stefano Boeri. Also during this event, MetaMundo has presented their Top 50 Creators of the Metaverse - a hand-picked collection of some of the world’s best 3D artists.
For this edition, The Miami Design District has awarded Miami-based architect and designer Germane Barnes and commissioned a multifaceted installation that honors the city's polyethnic culture. Along with other relevant architectural installations during the Miami Art Week, the following selection includes work by Leandro Erlich at Perez Art Museum Miami and Pilar Zeta.
Now in its eighth edition, the Prix Versailles awards are presented to honor the best achievements in the field of architecture and design worldwide, promoting architectural production as a vector of intelligent sustainable development and considering ecological, social, and cultural impacts.
Cities concentrate opportunities and exchanges, culture and business, while, at the same time are a key contributor to climate change. They are highly complex organisms, with multiple actors involved, that bring to light underlying social interests and conflicts present in society. In 2007, the world's urban population surpassed the rural and this difference has been increasing ever since. According to the 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects report, 55% of the world's current population lives in urban areas, rising to 68% by 2050. This will represent an increase of 2.5 billion people in urban areas, with almost 90% of this increase occurring in Asia and Africa. The Smart Sustainable Cities: Reconnaissance Study also points out that urban centers account for 67% of global energy demand, emit 70% of greenhouse gases and, on top of it all, buildings consume 40% of all energy worldwide. The prospect of a mostly urban world, along with the alarming onset of climate change, both raise challenges regarding living conditions in the coming decades and centuries, and all the implications that will accompany these changes.
Zaha Hadid Architects has joined Ukrainian authorities to present the OdesaExpo 2030 bid proposal, an event planned to become the first Expo to be hosted in Eastern Europe. The masterplan is designed with legacy and sustainability in mind. The central pavilions are configured to be transformed into Ukraine’s first fair exhibition hub after the closing of the Expo, while the national pavilions are designed to be dismantled and redeployed as new civic buildings throughout Ukraine.
Pantone has revealed its Color of the Year for 2023, 18-1750 Viva Magenta, a brand-new color "brave and fearless, whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration." The shade falls under the red family and is inspired by the tone of cochineal extract, one of the most precious dyes historically used to color textiles, cosmetics, and food.
For some time now, roofs have become leisure spaces, whether in large luxurious buildings or houses on the outskirts. This condition, however, is not limited to our times. Different cultures at different times used flat roofs in their architecture, in different ways.
On November 26, ArchDaily Brasil received the FNA 2022 Award (Prêmio FNA), a prize that recognizes initiatives in favor of architecture and Brazilian cities. In its 5th edition, the award was presented during the 46th National Meeting of Architects and Urbanists Unions (46th ENSA), in Brasilia, and recognized the non-profit organization Comunidades Catalisadoras (ComCat) and the Fab Social project as well. On the same occasion, the architect, teacher, and activist Cláudia Teresa Pereira Pires was awarded the Architect and Urban Planner of the Year Prize.
https://www.archdaily.com/993171/archdaily-brasil-wins-the-fna-2022-prizeArchDaily Team
Frames, inserts, modules - hundreds of individual elements from JUNG have successfully gone through the Cradle to Cradle certification process. The LS 990, LS CUBE, AS 500, A 550, A FLOW, A CREATION series from JUNG in white are now Cradle to Cradle certified. Image Courtesy of JUNG
Annually, 13% of the waste generated by humans is recycled, but where does the remaining 87% go? The combination of different types of waste is gradually filling the Earth’s oceans and landfills, leading to a negative impact on wildlife, the natural environment and human health. Within the large amounts of solid waste produced in developed cities, used electronics are a clear example of how materials can be efficiently managed after their life cycle ends. Understanding the behavior of these materials and resources before, during and after their useful life cycle has guided the search for new solutions, such as the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) methodology.
C2C proposes the design of products or processes that function as a healthy ecological system, where resources are efficiently managed in a cyclical way. By applying this methodology to electric appliances, JUNG has developed circular design strategies for their most-used switches and plugs for conventional and smart building technology, allowing them to be dismantled and reused when the product is no longer fit for use.
For nearly a century, the areas of urban sprawl where every single-family home has its own yard, garage, and white picket fence represented the peak of life aspiration. Homeownership and the idea of claiming space away from the hustle and bustle of the city core was once considered the ideal lifestyle and the pinnacle of the American Dream. But as time went on, and socio-economic conditions shifted, cities that were once filled with these single-family homes realized that perhaps these zoning regulations were outdated, and new solutions needed to be created to prevent the current housing crisis from growing even more out of control.
Cross-border guests catch up Cross-border guests catch up at the forumat the forum. Image Courtesy of Shaoxing Jianhu Planning and Design Competition
From October 29th to 30th, 2022, the Final Review Meeting, Award Ceremony and Cross-border Forum of the 「Beyond YUE｜Jianhu Revival」Shaoxing Jianhu Planning and Design Competition were successfully held at Jianhu in Keqiao. After 11 months of international competition, gathering talents from all over the world and global wisdom, the design and cultural event was held in October to kickstart the transformation of Shaoxing's Jianhu.
