Architectural thinking has a rich tradition of being bound to writing. Be it the vāstu śāstra, the Seven Lamps by Ruskin, or the writings of Thoreau—writing and craft have not only gone hand in hand but are synonymous. Imagination is the moment of architecture and it finds expression in writing as much, if not more, as it does in drawing. Unfortunately, the power of the pen, especially when it comes to architecture-design, remains largely underrated.

Part of a bigger vision and a master plan by Peter Zumthor, Studio Akkerhuis’ new 55.000 square meter project in Leiden’s 19th-century flour mill complex is under construction. With a landscape by Piet Oudolf and Lola, the development that recently won the "Future Project - Commercial Mixed Use” at WAF, will include shops, galleries, apartments, workspaces, a hotel, and a spa.

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New York City Council passed legislation that will now mandate all new construction use bird-safe glass on facades below 75 feet. New York City Audubon estimates that up to 230,000 birds crash into glass building surfaces across the five boroughs annually. The new legislation aims to address migratory patterns as birds pass through New York on the Atlantic Flyway.

The 8th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (Shenzhen) has officially opened in Shenzhen, China. Hosted at both the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Planning (MOCAUP) and the Futian Railway Station, the event is the most visited architecture biennale in the world, and holds the distinction of being the first major architectural event where all materials for the exhibitions were sourced in the host city of Shenzhen.

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Although cities are supposed to be built for everyone, they are in most of the time, thought, planned and designed by men: “Cities are supposed to be built for all of us, but they aren't built by all of us.”

With basic different needs, men and women expect different outcomes from their urban surroundings. A city should be able to fulfill everyone’s essentials. Lately, the topic that has everyone's attention revolves around cities designed by women. With a female mayor onboard and a feminist agenda, for the past four years, Barcelona has been undergoing major transformations on this subject.

The municipality of Patras in Greece launched a competition for the design of the Crematorium, a highly debated subject in the Orthodox Greek context. The winning scheme was imagined by architects Stelios Andrikopoulos, Konstantinos Grivas, and Alexandra Stratou.

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Revery Architecture has designed a new development of 11 residential towers for the Squamish First Nation in Vancouver, Canada. Working with developer Westbank, the $3-billion project would transform the city’s Kitsilano neighborhood on the reserve lands at Sen̓áḵw. The project will be Canada’s largest development on First Nations land.

City of the Future is a bi-weekly podcast from Sidewalk Labs that explores ideas and innovations that will transform cities.

In the final episode of season 2, hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss the past, present, and future of responsive architecture with Sidewalk Labs’ director of public realm Jesse Shapins, engineer and microclimate expert Goncalo Pedro, Bubbletecture author Sharon Francis, and renowned architect Liz Diller of Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Once completed, the Dubai Municipality will become the world’s largest 3D printed building, standing tall at 9.5 meters with an area of 640 square meters. Executed by Apis Cor, a U.S.-based company, the structure was directly built on-site.

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Durbach Block Jaggers won the competition for a multi-level car park, playground and commercial tower in Penrith, Australia. Working with Sue Barnsley Design, Right Angle Studio and SGS, the team made the proposal for Penrith City council's Soper Place Design Competition. Unanimously chosen by the selection panel, the design combines a playground on an arched brick base with a commercial tower and car park.

DMDmodular is manufacturing modules for the world's tallest modular hotel, in the Big Apple. The modular elements of the 26-story AC Marriott New York NoMad, designed by Danny Forster & Architecture, are produced in Skawina, Poland and shipped to the United States.

Wafai Architecture and Fragomeli+partners, two architecture practices based in Torino, Italy have imagined an Islamic cultural center in the Piedmont area. The project features a mosque and a center for cultural and social activities, a space that promotes constructive dialogues.

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Odile Decq has unveiled new images of the design for her first new residential building and luxury skyscraper in Barcelona, Spain. Called Antares, the project will be sited along the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to the architecture, Odile also designed the interiors. Antares was made to be a unique addition to the Barcelona skyline by taking the form of a distinctive architectural tower.

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Quatre Caps, a group of architects from Spain visualized in a series of images, the unbuilt works of Fernando Higueras. In fact, the pictures portray the buildings in their context, as if they were built back when they were first conceived.

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Tanzania’s architecture is built to celebrate nature and everyday life. Representing a long history of diverse styles, from British and German to Arab influences, much of the country’s major buildings include mosques, churches and marketplaces. Today, Tanzania’s diversity is also rooted in its traditional architecture and structures that were shaped by both their functional use and culture.

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The National Architectural Competition for the Research, Rescue, and Rehabilitation Center for the Sea Turtles in Iztuzu Beach, organized by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation of Turkey, selects KÂAT Architects to design the environmentally sensitive facility.

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Krft, a young architecture studio based in Amsterdam, was selected as the winner of the Brighton College competition, for the new performance arts building. Finalists included international firms Haworth Tompkins, Sauerbruch Hutton, Mecanoo, and Morphosis.

3XN and Aspect Studios have been selected to design a new mixed-use tower for the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Made with a focus on resilience and environmental sustainability, the project aims to to create a welcoming campus gateway that will serve as a new entrance point to the UNSW campus.

Design practice LMN Architects have unveiled new details of the design for the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion. The $113 million project will include the 50,000-square-foot Pavilion sited adjacent to the existing Seattle Aquarium. The pavilion will link together the new Seattle Waterfront, downtown and the historic Pike Place Market.

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The Grand Canal Museum Complex in Hangzhou, China designed by Herzog & de Meuron reflects on the importance of this area in Chinese cultural and natural landscapes. The project illustrates the story of the Grand Canal, through a continuous dialogue between the water and the museum.

Topotek 1 was selected as the winner of the open architecture competition for the extension of School Champagne in Biel, Switzerland. The winning proposal suggests the integration of an additional building with the existing campus and new outdoor spaces.

Vienna-based Studio Jadric Architektur and their Korean Partner 1990uao were chosen as the winners of the Seoul Photographic Art Museum international competition. The proposal will be part of the future cultural mile in Chang-dong.

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AKK Architects, an architecture practice founded by architect Annabel Karim Kassar, with offices in Beirut, Dubai, and London, is transforming a historical 19th-century Lebanese home into a contemporary family home. Bayt K was shortlisted for the WAF future projects awards under House category.

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