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The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is an annual architectural event, celebrating international projects that tackle today’s global issues. Ten innovative designs have won the 2019 WAFX prizes, each one in a category.
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The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is an annual architectural event, celebrating international projects that tackle today’s global issues. Ten innovative designs have won the 2019 WAFX prizes, each one in a category.

AI SpaceFactory, a multi-planetary architectural and technology design agency, launched TERA, a high-tech and green eco-home designed for off-grid living on earth. Inspired by their NASA-award-winning Mars habitat MARSHA, the first TERA accepts limited pre-bookings on Indiegogo and will be available starting March 2020 for one year before it is recycled and reprinted elsewhere.

Praksis Arkitekter has won the competition to design a new visitor center for the Stevns Klint UNESCO World Heritage site in Denmark. Four architecture firms were invited to participate, and Praksis was chosen as the winner working with Kristine Jensen Landscape and Henry Jensen engineers. The project was designed to fit into the landscape as visitors move from the geology of Stevns Klint to the sea.

Expected to be completed by 2022, The Museum of Modern Art Warsaw and the TR Warszawa Theatre will put in place a new art hub for Warsaw, Poland. The two new cultural entities will add a modern vibe to the rich heritage of the city. Designed by the New York-based studio Thomas Phifer and Partners, the new center of the arts will occupy a 22-acre site.

The world's largest urban farm is set to open next year in Paris. The six-story, 150,000-square-foot garden aims to grow more than 2,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables a day. Twenty gardeners will tend to 30 different kinds of plants to produce vegetables for the community. Called Agripolis, the project uses aeroponic farming so the plants absorb water and nutrients via mist.

For the first time, San Francisco's iconic Transamerica Pyramid has been listed for sale. Built in 1972, the 48-story Brutalist-style project was designed by American architect William Pereira. The triangular-shaped skyscraper was the tallest building in San Francisco for nearly half a century, until it was surpassed by Salesforce Tower in 2018. Selling for $600 million, the building has become a landmark in the skyline of San Francisco.

Wolf Point East, a 665-foot residential tower, part of the last remaining development along the Chicago River, topped off and is near completion. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and part of a master plan to redevelop the area, the east tower generates 700 rental units, 35,000 square feet of amenities, and 4,000 square feet of retail at street level.

With an aim to become a company that also offers houses, not just housing, Airbnb is venturing in the creation of prototypes of homes. Through Samara, its future-oriented product design team, and the Backyard initiative, new ideas are tested, new ways of living and experiencing the sheltered space are explored.

The Maestros project conducted an interview with Norman Foster, discussing with him topics related to his life, his approach to architecture, and the stories behind his buildings. Created, produced and published by Fundación Arquia, The Maestros collection is a cultural program that aims to create a platform where the most important architects can communicate “their thoughts to future generations of architects”.

Studio Viktor Sørless has designed a coastal summer home currently under construction in Denmark. Called the Dune House, the project was made to be a one-off contemporary home on the edge of waterfront. Overlooking unobstructed views across the landscape, the project was designed for a film enthusiast to be a sustainable retreat inspired by Roman Polanski's movie The Ghostwriter.

Hajizadeh & Associates elaborated a proposal for the entrance of the Gilan University in Rasht in Iran. Basing their conceptual approach on the Iranian notion of access, they created not only a passage or a connection space but a social and cultural area.

Architecture practice AL_A has released its proposal to transform the Paisley Museum in Scotland. The museum is undergoing the transformation to accommodate visitors from Scotland, the UK and abroad. Led by Stirling Prize winn, the team plans to restore and reinvigorate the existing museum. The new design is made to showcase the stories of a Scottish town whose influence has reached around the globe.

Designers Warith Zaki and Amir Amzar have imagined a project that seeks to find alternatives to traditional construction material in order to build the first settlements on Mars. In fact, they opted for a natural earthy element that competes with wood, brick and concrete, and drafted a project that uses bamboo.
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The architectural practice Hawkins\Brown has been granted planning permission for the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (IBRB) at the University of Warwick. Expected to open in 2020, the facility will set new standards in the campus with the quality of its architecture and interior flexible spaces.

Aston Martin has announced a new design service to create “automotive lairs” for car owners and enthusiasts. Called Aston Martin Automotive Galleries and Lairs, the service aims to create one of kind spaces and luxury garages. The team believes the new service is an opportunity for clients to work with the Aston Martin Design Team and with renowned architects alike.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has announced that the country will relocate its capital Jakarta to the island of Borneo. Taking on concerns of overcrowding, pollution, and income disparity, the move also hopes to address issues of extreme land subsidence. The new city would be built over 800 miles away from the current capital to reimagine one of the world’s fastest sinking cities.

The ROM or The Royal Ontario Museum, an art, world culture and natural history gallery in Canada, inaugurated its newest additions, the Helga and Mike Schmidt Performance Terrace and the Reed Family Plaza. Designed by Siamak Hariri of Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA), the latest add-ons create a lively space on the street level.
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The 6 winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture were announced today, by Irada Ayupova, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan and Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, at a press conference in Kazan, Republic of Tartarstan.

Ste Murray has recently visited Chicago and photographed the famous John Hancock Center on its 50th Anniversary. Completed in 1969, and conceived by architect Bruce Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Khan of Skidmore Owings and Merrill, the building was once the tallest structure in the world outside of New York.

Canadian company Henson Developments has released plans to build the world's tallest passive house in Vancouver's West End neighborhood. The 60-story project and rezoning application is being reviewed by the City of Vancouver before it goes to city council for a public hearing. Aiming to earn Passive House certification, the tower was formed to break away from traditional Passive House design approaches.

WOHA was chosen to design the Singapore Pavilion for the Dubai 2020 World Expo. Under the theme of “Nature, Nurture, Future”, the pavilion will aim to demonstrate “Singapore’s story of overcoming its physical limitations as a small island city-state and adapting itself to become a highly livable and sustainable city”.