The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has revealed the winning projects for the Holcim Awards 2023 competition, as well as the silver, bronze, and acknowledgement prizes, at a ceremony on November 18 in Venice, Italy. Evaluated by a jury comprising five independent expert panels from around the world, these projects were chosen to highlight contextual and practical approaches to sustainable construction, showcasing diversity across scales, budgets, geographies, and forms. On another hand, Francis Kéré winner of the Global Holcim Gold in 2012 and Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2022 took the stage at the event to talk about the influence of the Holcim Award on his career.
DnA_Design and Architecture Studio took home the golden prize for Asia-Pacific for an adaptive reuse project of a heritage building, while Husos, Elii, and Ultrazul won for Europe with a360° co-design process for the rehabilitation of an industrial building. For the Latin American territory, Cano Vera Arquitectura was selected for an urban forest and social infrastructure precinct, and for the MEA region, Juergen Strohmayer and Glenn DeRoché were praised for a youth empowerment and responsible tourism cooperative. Finally, Partisans Architects and Well-Grounded Real Estate won the first prize for North America with ahigh-tech and low-cost modular housing solution for urban living.
Watch live the Holcim Awards 2023 Ceremony on November 18, broadcasted from Venice, Italy during the final weeks of the Biennale Architettura 2023 - 18th International Architecture Exhibition, to discover the winners and the ranking of the nominees. Consisting of five independent expert panels from around the globe, the jury has chosen projects that demonstrate contextual and practical approaches to sustainable construction, divided into regional categories: Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, and North America.
Founded in 2004 by the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction," the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction are the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design - showcasing projects that contribute to the transformation of the building sector." The Awards recognize projects that integrate sustainable design and construction with architectural excellence. Serving as a catalyst for innovators, these awards have granted so far over 320 prizes.
Designed by MAD Architects, the FENIX Museum of Migration is set to be inaugurated in 2025 in Rotterdam’s City Harbor. The purpose of the institution is to showcase and highlight the stories of global migration through encounters with art, architecture, photography, and history. The museum broke ground in 2020 when the first images of the proposal were also released. MAD Architects is working with Bureau Polderman for the restoration of the historic warehouse dating back to 1932, which now represents the base and starting point for the museum experience.
NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s Mega Project, has just announced a new upscale coastal destination within the sustainable regional development in northwest Saudi Arabia. Positioned along the Gulf of Aqaba, Epicon aims to redefine hospitality and architecture standards. Featuring two pointed skyscrapers, it features a prominent hotel and luxury apartments.
The scheme compromises two towers at 225 meters and 275 meters, respectively, housing a premium 41-key hotel and 14 suites and apartments. Nearby, the Epicon resort includes 120 rooms and 45 beach villas, blending coastal living with luxury amenities. Epicon is designed to be a haven from everyday life, providing experiences varying from high-end cuisine to water sports.
The tenth edition of the MPavilion opens in Queen Victoria Gardens in Melbourne, Australia. The structure was designed by Pritzker Prize-winner Tadao Ando, marking the architect’s first built project in Australia. The pavilion follows his signature use of geometric shapes in harmony with the natural landscape and the precise use of exposed concrete. On November 16, 2023, the official opening inaugurates the space with a public celebration and a wide array of art commissions selected by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. The MPavilion will remain free and open to the public from 16 November to 28 March 2024, inviting visitors to engage with its diverse cultural program and find opportunities for contemplation and tranquility in its spaces.
The Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023 opened on November 11, 2023, with a wide program focused on the overarching theme of The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability. While on-site in Sharjah, the ArchDaily team had the chance to sit down with curator Tosin Oshinowo and discuss her curatorial view, the development of the main themes of the program, and the larger principles and intentions behind the event. Informed by her experience growing up in Lagos, Oshinowo has focused the Triennale on the celebration of places that thrive under conditions of scarcity and the alternative models that the Global South can provide in working towards a more equitable and livable future.
Tadao Ando has revealed the designs for a new performing arts center in Sharjah’s Aljada. “II Teatro” is a 2000-seat auditorium with a gallery and an event space and will serve as a focal point within the Aljada master plan. Dedicated to art, culture, and design, the Naseej district will house the theater with a multi-layered cultural plaza. In collaboration with local developer Arada, The scheme is expected to be completed in 2027, acting as a true reflection of Tadao Ando’s architectural simplicity.
Of Palm / Abdalla Almula. Image Courtesy of Abdalla Almula
Happening between November 7 and 12, Dubai Design Week 2023 brought together over 500 designers, architects, and creative practitioners to explore the relationship between traditional practices and emerging technologies in an effort to create more environmental sustainability and design-led social impact solutions. As one of the most important cultural events in the Middle East, the festival brings forward a wide offering of installations, artworks, and immersive experiences, all exploring important topics of eco-friendly design.
This year’s interventions and installations drew inspiration from the region’s natural ecosystems as well as local traditions and craftsmanship while merging these practices with innovative technologies, biomaterial explorations, and reimagined ways of practicing. Across the interventions, a recurring motif emerges, that of celebrating Middle Eastern heritage and engaging productively with vernacular practices.
Sir Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham’s CRAB Studio has unveiled the design for a new cultural center to be constructed in New Delhi, India. Located on the site of a former quartzite quarry, the BRIJ offers facilities for the visual, performing, literary, and culinary arts as well as a new arts academy. The scheme, aiming to promote interactions between artists and audiences via an immersive environment, is designed by CRAB Studio, now led by Gavin Robotham, and CP Kukreja Architects (CPKA) as Executive Architect.
The Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning in China (MoCAUP) has recently opened an exhibition titled “Ma Yansong: Landscapes in Motion.” This retrospective showcases the work of MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, and Yosuke Hayano, spanning nearly two decades and 52 projects. Running until December 17, the display is envisioned as a platform for imaginative exploration of future urban life.
The Norwegian studio of Powerhouse, in collaboration with KIMA arkitektur, has won a design competition for the transformation and extension of one of the historical buildings located in the center of Landbrukskvartalet. Known as the Agricultural Quarter, a former farming and industrial site in central Oslo, the area is now scheduled to go through an urban revitalization process to be transformed into an active neighborhood based on the design philosophy of ‘new meets old’.
EskewDumezRipple has just revealed the designs for a new academic building for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Embedded into the new “Technology Square,” this expansive project marks phase 3 of Georgia Tech’s growth initiative. Designed to facilitate the development of technology leaders and enhance the human condition of Georgia Tech students and faculty, the scheme creates a vibrant intellectual environment filled with inspiration.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with the New York City Department of Design and Construction, has announced the breaking ground on the construction of the Studio Gang-designed Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center. Located at the Nostrand Playground in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, the center aims to bring new amenities to the residents of East Flatbush while honoring the history and heritage of the community. The new center is named after Brooklyn-born politician Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman to serve in Congress and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States.
Diamond Schmitt and MVRDV have unveiled the design for a new building for the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus. The new addition, featuring laboratory spaces, classrooms, and offices, aims to function as a communal and gathering space for the community. The functions are distributed around a five-story atrium that opens toward the exterior on both sides of the building and establishes a destination point within the pedestrian flows of the campus. Solar panels integrated into the façade help power the building, while the warm finishes of the interior contribute to creating a welcoming atmosphere.
Last week in Cairo, CulturVator – Art D’Egypte launched its third edition of the annual international exhibition “Forever is Now.” Set by the backdrop of the Great Pyramids of Giza, the display features the work of 14 international artists. In essence, the exhibition “underscores the significance of cultural exchange among artists at the core of history and ancient Egyptian civilization.”
The third installment "Forever Is Now," running from October 26th to November 18th, presents a diverse ensemble of artists hailing from various corners of the globe. Among them are Egyptian artist Mohamed Banawy and Saudi Arabian talent Rashed Al Shashai, as well as American visual artist Carol A. Feuerman and Belgian creative Arne Quinze. Collectively, these artists have come together to creatively interact with one of the world's most iconic historical sites, crafting immersive visual narratives that seamlessly fuse contemporary elements with the past, weaving tales of the land and its inhabitants.
The Media Architecture Biennale Student Awards recognize the world’s best student projects at the intersection of architecture, urban design and planning, media and interaction design, and urban media art.
MVRDV has revealed the design of a new residential complex located in the Enterprise Research Campus in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, a site adjacent to the Harvard Business School. The development, already under construction, features 343 apartments with a quarter of them dedicated to affordable units. It also includes amenities for the residents and retail spaces for small local businesses, aiming to create an inclusive and enjoyable space within the new urban district.
