Courtesy of The Singapore Pavilion, Expo 2025 Osaka
DP Architects group, in collaboration with Kingsmen Exhibits, designed the Singapore Pavilion for the Expo Osaka 2025. With the grand opening on 13th April, the pavilion is now welcoming visitors. The concept of the pavilion centers around the tagline "Where dreams take shape," aiming to offer an insight into the country's culture and impactful innovations. The pavilion, taking the shape of a 17-meter-high sphere clad in recycled disks, creates a multi-sensorial exhibition showcasing actions and innovations that encourage a more sustainable future.
Kristin Feireiss, the German architecture curator, writer, and editor, passed away on April 20, 2025. With a career spanning over four decades, Feireiss played a significant role in promoting international public discourse on architecture, urban development, and social change.
Born in 1942, Feireiss studied art history and philosophy at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. In 1980, she co-founded the "Aedes Architecture Forum" in Berlin with Helga Retzer, establishing Europe's first private architecture gallery. After Retzer's passing in 1984, Feireiss continued to develop Aedes into an internationally recognized platform. Since 1994, in collaboration with Hans-Jürgen Commerell, she curated over 350 exhibitions and catalogues, expanding the forum's reach and impact. In 2009, the duo also founded "ANCB The Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory," which received the German Innovation Prize in 2010.
OMA has unveiled its latest exhibition design for "Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams" in Seoul, South Korea. Held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), the exhibition marks the fifth collaboration between OMA and Dior. Previous designs include Dior: From Paris to the World at the Denver Art Museum (2018) and Dallas Museum of Art (2019), as well as Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (2022). The Seoul exhibition presents over 80 years of Dior's creative history and the cultural heritage of Korea.
Officially open since April 13 as part of Expo 2025 Osaka, the German Pavilion, designed by LAVA Architects. brings to life the theme of the circular economy. Previously unveiled under the title "Wa! Doitsu" (translated as "Wow! Germany"), the Pavilion explores concepts around circularity, showcasing the "terminological culmination of the sustainability discussion." Focusing on returning all consumable goods to the cycle of the economy, achieving zero waste, and minimizing resource consumption, the theme is visible throughout the entire design.
Expo Osaka 2025 officially opened its doors on April 13 in Osaka, Japan. The Philippines' exhibition for this edition opened with a pavilion designed by the Filipino-led architectural firm Carlo Calma Consultancy Inc., in partnership with Japanese executive architect Cat Inc., who also handled project management. Titled "Woven," the pavilion reflects the country's connections to nature, its cultural heritage, and its community values. With the theme "Nature, Culture & Community: Woven Together for a Better Future," the pavilion aims to highlight the Philippines' creativity, diversity, and aspirations for sustainable development while inviting visitors to engage with its cultural and environmental priorities.
The winners of the reSITE's Young Designers Open Call have been announced. The open call has invited emerging designers to envision a playful yet functional summer installation for Manifesto Market, a popular outdoor venue in Prague known for its blend of food, culture, and community. Out of 275 registered teams worldwide, 57 submitted their proposals in line with the competition guidelines. On April 11, 2025, ten shortlisted designs were presented to an international jury during a hybrid event in Prague, with participants joining both on-site and remotely from countries including Ethiopia, Ecuador, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, France, Belarus, Georgia, and New Zealand.
Populous, the global architecture firm, recently released images of the design for a new New York Liberty practice facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The $80 million project is a player-led endeavor, developed for and in collaboration with the women's professional basketball team. The new building will span 75,000 square feet and offer views of Manhattan's skyline. In addition to serving as a basketball training center, the facility is also designed to support community engagement and expand the team's impact throughout New York City.
The Luxembourg national pavilion, designed by Luxembourg-based office STDM architectes urbanistes in collaboration with Japanese office MIKAN, with the concept of "Doki-Doki –The Luxembourg Heartbeat," has just opened its doors at the Osaka 2025 World Expo. The pavilion takes its name from the Japanese term for heartbeat, aiming to express joy and enthusiasm while strengthening the connection between the two countries. It also strives to offer visitors a chance to discover the cultural richness of Luxembourg and its multifaceted identity.
Foster + Partners is developing a comprehensive masterplan for Maratué, a 1,045-hectare site located along the Puchuncaví coast in Chile. Developed for Inmobiliaria Maratué, the project seeks to reconnect the existing town of Puchuncaví with its coastal edge, while conserving and enhancing the region's diverse natural landscapes. The masterplan aims to create a sustainable framework for long-term development, balancing residential growth with environmental protection.
Austrian Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. Image Courtesy of Expo Austria
BWM Designers & Architects has just completed the design for the Austrian Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. Titled "Austria. Composing the Future," the pavilion reimagines the expo's theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," through a music lens, suggesting a future that is not only designed but also composed. In collaboration with facts and fiction, the pavilion and exhibition embark on a journey through Austria's musical heritage and witness its transition into the future. The 900 square meters pavilion is located between the pavilions of Switzerland and Ukraine in the section "Empowering Lives."
In recent weeks, a number of architecture firms have unveiled new projects that reflect an ongoing shift toward integrated, environmentally responsive urban planning. From Europe to the Middle East and North America, these proposals balance spatial innovation with long-term sustainability, whether through car-free living, passive performance strategies, or adaptive modular construction. While some projects reimagine infrastructure and public institutions, others explore how urban density can coexist with natural ecosystems. This edition of Architecture Now highlights a selection of recently announced masterplans, cultural buildings, and residential communities that offer new models for ecological and social resilience in the built environment.
Porto's architectural legacy has long been shaped by the weight of history and the clarity of form. From the work of Álvaro Siza to the dense network of studios emerging from the city's schools, Porto offers a unique blend of continuity and reinvention. Here, architecture is not only a matter of design but often one of endurance — of working within constraints, of drawing with precision, and of navigating a built environment marked by permanence and resistance to spectacle.
Yet within this persistent context, a new generation of architects has been reshaping the field with quiet determination. Often formed in shared spaces, these practices balance autonomy with collaboration and meticulous detailing with broader urban concerns. Their studios tend to reflect this ethos: modest in scale, defined by adaptive reuse, and rooted in the material reality of the city. In these workspaces, architecture unfolds as a process — sometimes speculative, sometimes grounded — but always reflective of a practice that is deeply local and increasingly global.
Hungarian Architecture Center and Museum Design. Image Courtesy of BIVAK Studio
The Hungarian Architecture Center and Museum, designed by BIVAK Studio in collaboration with Tér és Forma Szeged Építéstervező Ltd., has received its building permit, paving the way for construction to begin. Located at the corner of Városligeti Fasor and Bajza Street in Budapest, Hungary, the project aims to establish a cultural and professional hub within an urban context. The proposal was selected as the winning entry in an international two-round open design competition, organized by the Hungarian Academy of Arts, held in December 2023.
MVRDV and Zecc Architecten have won the competition to transform the St. Francis of Assisi Church in Heerlen into a public swimming pool. Originally built over 100 years ago, the church stopped hosting services in 2023, presenting the municipality with the opportunity to repurpose the building for community use. Nicknamed Holy Water, the adaptive reuse project is meant to give this listed national monument, with its recognizable silhouette, a new social function while preserving its historic elements. The design was created through a collaboration between MVRDV, Zecc Architecten, IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs, Nelissen Ingenieursbureau, and construction economics consultancy SkaaL, and is expected to be completed at the end of 2027.
The State of Qatar has just opened its national pavilion's doors at Expo Osaka 2025. Designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates in collaboration with Qatar Museums, the pavilion blends traditional craftsmanship from Qatar and Japan while highlighting the two countries' connection to the sea, which is understood as a hub of resources and a medium for trade and knowledge exchange. The exhibition will be on view until October 13, 2025, aiming to showcase Qatar's innovations across diverse fields.
The Portugal Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka embraces the theme "Ocean, The Blue Dialogue", offering visitors an immersive exploration of the ocean as a life-giving resource and a cornerstone of sustainability. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the Pavilion aims to reflect Portugal's deep historical, cultural, and economic connections to the sea, creating an architectural and narrative journey that bridges past, present, and future. The pavilion has recently been inaugurated in the in the "Empowering Lives" zone, next to the Bahrain Pavilion, designed by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture and the Austrian Pavilion by BWM Architects.
The national pavilion of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes its first visitors at Expo 2025 Osaka. The latest photographs showcase Foster + Partners's design, aiming to create a spatial experience that evokes the character of Saudi Arabian towns and cities. Positioned at the Yumeshima waterfront, the pavilion offers visitors an engaging journey of discovery through the 'village' of meandering streets that alternate spaces of quiet reflection with venues for performances and cultural experiences.
French architecture studio Coldefy and Italian architecture practice CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati have completed the 'Theatre of Life,' the project selected as France's national pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025, and welcomes visitors until 13 October. The pavilion welcomes both natural and artificial habitats, aiming to illustrate how design can connect human and non-human worlds while showcasing France's contribution to culture and the natural environment. In the exhibition, the visitors are invited to explore France's multiple ecosystems and rediscover a connection to nature.
The latest photographs of the Swiss Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka have just been released. Designed by Manuel Herz Architekten, NUSSLI, and Bellprat Partner, as a result of a competition won, the pavilion guides visitors through five spatial zones under the theme From Heidi to High Tech. The installation brings together references from Swiss cultural narratives and technological developments in a multi-sensory setting. In line with the Expo's overall theme, "Designing the Future Society for Our Lives," the pavilion aims to minimize environmental impact with a lightweight membrane design that allows for speedy construction and strengthens the relationship between both countries.
Expo 2025 Osaka has officially opened on April 13, 2025, at Yumeshima, Osaka. Under the overarching theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," the Expo set out to explore three pivotal subthemes: Saving Lives, Empowering Lives, and Connecting Lives. These themes aim to unite architectural and design enthusiasts by demonstrating how cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions can address global challenges, foster dialogue inspire collective action.
Carlo Ratti, the designer of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 torch. Image Courtesy of Milano Cortina 2026
The official torches, named Essential, for the Milano Cortina 2026: Winter Olympics and Paralympics, were unveiled in parallel events at the Triennale di Milano and Expo 2025 in Osaka. Designed by Carlo Ratti Associati in collaboration with Eni and its subsidiary Versalis, Essential takes a minimalist approach that foregrounds the flame as the central element. The project blends Italian design with engineering precision, resulting in a torch that serves as both a symbolic and technical object. Its open structure, uncommon in torch design, allows viewers to see how the flame is produced, revealing the typically hidden mechanisms at work.
The 2025 edition of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival continues its tradition of merging large-scale contemporary art with music, transforming the Empire Polo Field into a dynamic landscape of immersive installations. Curated by Raffi Lehrer of Public Art Company (PAC) in collaboration with Goldenvoice Art Director Paul Clemente, this year's program explores themes of movement, illusion, and impermanence through newly commissioned works and returning artists. Since 2016, Coachella's art program has evolved into a multidisciplinary platform, with most of its production managed in-house and on-site. The 2025 festival runs across two weekends, April 11-13 and April 18-20. This year's edition includes three newly commissioned art installations in addition to the permanent and returning exhibits.
The 2025 edition of Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile.Milano, spanning April 7th to 13th, brought together a diverse range of temporary installations at the intersection of architecture, design, and material innovation. Spread across historic sites, courtyards, and exhibition venues throughout the city, these site-specific works explored concepts such as sustainability, impermanence, sensory experience, and spatial interaction, in line with the theme of this edition of exploring the deep connections between humanity and design. Architectural studios, designers, and artists collaborated with brands and institutions to create environments that responded to context while proposing new approaches to how spaces are designed, experienced, and constructed. The following selection highlights ten installations presented during the week, reflecting a range of design approaches, materials, and spatial concepts.
