As part of a major initiative to modernise schools and educational facilities in the city of Düsseldorf, the Friedrich-Rückert grammar school renovation represents a first step towards the future. In addition to renovating the interior of the school, much work was done to make the exterior of the aging building look more modern, inspiring and inviting. The new 3,000 m2 facade made of glassfibre reinforced concrete panels from Rieder bridges the architectural gap to the here and now. The innovative concrete is a symbolic step towards sustainability, fit for a modern school building. The new texture twine was also used for the first time in this project for the colour-matched formed parts, skilfully highlighting the building envelope.
Zaha Hadid Architects - ZHA has unveiled a virtual "libertarian micro-nation" in the metaverse titled The Liberland Metaverse, where residents can buy vacant plots centered around a curated urban core, and access them as avatars. The community features hyper-realistic districts that encourage urban self-governance and zones where the absence of urban planning "allows for a spontaneous order via a free-wheeling discovery process".
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has expressed concern over the damage caused to historic landmarks in Ukraine and called for the protection of its cultural heritage. At the same time, the organization has taken action within its capabilities to help safeguard the endangered sites. Ukraine is home to seven World Heritage sites, including the 11th-century Saint-Sophia Cathedral and the entire ensemble of the Historic Centre of Lviv. In addition, several sites in the recently damaged cities of Kharkiv and Chernihiv were on the tentative list for potential nomination to World Heritage status.
A recent survey made by our development team revealed that one out of four architects and designers identifies working conditions as their biggest frustration at the workplace. If architecture has been pushed to open and become more proactive, propositive, and inclusive, then finding your dream job should not be that hard either.
As part of our yearly tradition, we have asked our readers who should win the 2022 Pritzker Prize, the most important award in the field of architecture.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has selected Mexican architect Frida Escobedo to design the new $500 million modern and contemporary art wing. The Met does not have, until now, a thematic area that would house pieces corresponding to this temporality in art.
Aedas has won an international competition to design Shenzhen's new Qingshuihe Comprehensive Transportation Hub in a joint venture with China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., LTD and Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning Center Co., LTD. The master plan draws inspiration from the natural environment of the area, integrating nature and water elements into the high-density city to build a unique new emblem for Qingshuihe. The underground compact hub releases large above-ground spaces which will feature urban terraces, offices, five-star hotels, first-rate apartments, science and technology exhibition halls, and other facilities.
Büro Ole Scheeren has revealed the design for a tropical resort complex in Sanya, one of China’s most popular holiday destinations. The project establishes a strong connection with its natural environment, amplifying the presence of lush greenery. The stacked volumes create a curved façade embracing the ocean and amplifying the panorama, while the offsets and openings create the opportunity for natural plantings throughout the building, bringing to life a version of the hanging gardens.
American architect Gyo Obata, FAIA, co-founder of renowned architecture firm HOK, has passed away on March 8 at the age of 99. The news was announced by the office through a statement, honoring the architect's legacy and highlighting his holistic approach which "helped drive HOK’s ongoing expansion into new specialty practices, market sectors and geographic regions".
'Future Cites' exhibition was recently inaugurated at the Future Design Arts Centre in Chengdu, examining how the work of Zaha Hadid Architects has redefined urban landscapes around the world. The monographic show highlights the trends and innovations shaping contemporary urbanism and traces the ideas and concepts that defined ZHA's body of work. The exhibition displays the office's ongoing research and various urban design approaches, presented through visualizations, architectural models and video projections.
Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize announced the full list of jurors for its fourth edition, chaired by Sandra Barclay of Barclay and Crousse Architecture, and just released the nominated projects comprising 200 built works in North and South America, for MCHAP 2022 and 50 projects for MCHAP.emerge 2022.
David Adjaye Associates has been commissioned to design an exhibition with rare and previously unreleased work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, to be hosted at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in West Chelsea, New York. "Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure" is the first show organized by the artist's family after his death and will feature over 200 paintings, drawings and artefacts, together with recreations of Basquiat's New York art studio and the Michael Todd VIP Room of the Palladium nightclub, for which the artist created two paintings.
Moving forward with his "ultra-marathon of photoshoots", architectural photographer Marc Goodwin is putting together an Atlas of Architectural Atmospheres by Arcmospheres, a project that seeks to document diverse architecture and design studios from around the world. Since 2016, the architectural photographer has been traveling "far and wide to capture the atmospheres of architecture studios in order to produce an online and print resource for the architecture community", and after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Goodwin resumed his project with an exploration of Berlin's architecture offices, capturing the work environment of renowned firms such as Hesse, LAVA, JWA, and FAR frohn&rojas, to name a few.
Shigeru Ban Architects designed a wellness retreat on Japan’s Awaji Island. The project features a bridge-like wooden structure suspended above the lush landscape, providing visitors with a zen experience. The Vierendeel timber girder allows for a 21-metre span and a significant cantilever on one end of the 90-metre long structure. The Zenbo Seinei retreat, which will focus on meditation and healthy food, is currently under construction and is set to open this spring.
As we successfully launched our 13th Building of the Year Awards earlier this year, we want to thank you for being part of our community for over 10 years. Together we have been growing and contributing to the architectural scene, aiming for a better world. Now, we are proud to announce the 6th edition of The ArchDaily Building of the Year China, celebrating the best architecture in China, as chosen by you, the reader.
By nominating and voting, you form part of an interdependent, impartial, distributed network of jurors and peers that has consistently helped us celebrate architecture of every scale, purpose, and condition, and architects of all profiles. Over the coming weeks, your votes will result in 700 Chinese projects filtered down to just 10 best projects in China.
Foster + Partners has been chosen by Masterise Homes to serve as Architectural Advisors for the development of The Global City, an all-inclusive neighborhood in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the first of its kind in the country for the architecture office. The practice will provide innovative and sustainable design solutions for a fully-integrated master plan that features a full range of facilities, residential units, and connections to highways, major roads, and metro lines.
Paris City Council granted final approval to Gustafson Porter + Bowman's landscape design for the Eiffel Tower site. The project is the result of a 2019 international competition that sought to redesign the 2-kilometre axis leading up to the Eiffel Tower, connecting Place du Trocadéro, Palais de Chaillot, Pont d'Iéna, Champ de Mars and the Military Academy. The landscape plan redefines this iconic green space in Paris by increasing green areas by 35% and adding over 200 new trees, in addition to pedestrianizing the Iena bridge.
Pictured (from left) are: Joseph Henry, Meneesha Kaur Kellay, Sumitra Upham, Jayden Ali and Sevra Davis (Director of Architecture Design Fashion at the British Council). Image Courtesy of British Council
Since 2017, UN-Habitat, together with Shigeru Ban Architects, Philippe Monteil and the NGO Voluntary Architects' Network, developed several shelter typologies for a pilot neighborhood in Kalobeyei Settlement in Kenya. The Turkana Houses are meant to house South Sudanese and other refugees living in Northern Kenya who could not return to their original villages due to endless civil wars and conflicts. Unlike typical refugee shelters, these structures were meant to provide a home for long periods of displacement and the four typologies developed are informed by the extensive experience of Shigeru Ban Architects with disaster relief projects and the local building techniques of local people.
Minimalism has shaped architecture for over a century. Embracing new materials and rejecting ornament, the modernist movement grounded minimalist architecture through rational use and function. Throughout the 20th century, architects returned to minimalism as they worked with glass, steel and reinforced concrete. Over time, minimalist and modernist designs became more closely tied to cost, construction and aesthetic.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, in partnership with Atlanta’s Goode Van Slyke Architecture (GVSA), have unveiled Centennial Yards' first ground-up tower. Titled One Centennial Yards, the project will feature 28 stories and over 500,000 square feet of office space, 19,000 square feet of amenities, and 21,980 square feet of outdoor spaces, all aligned with the innovative, health, and wellness goals of the Foster + Partners designed master plan.
Sharjah Architecture Triennial (SAT) announced the appointment of architect Tosin Oshinowo as the curator of its second edition, which will open in 2023. From its inaugural edition of 2018, the triennial established itself as an international platform highlighting the architecture of West and South Asia, as well as the African continent. Oshinowo’s appointment is prompted by the architect’s socially responsive approaches to architecture and her deep knowledge of the African architectural and urban context. Her work reflects SAT’S mission to pursue a multidisciplinary design approach “that fosters an understanding of the broader role of architecture, including its relation to social and environmental issues.”
Heritage Buildings of Beirut, Lebanon. Image Courtesy of World Monuments Fund
The World Monuments Fund has released its 2022 World Monuments Watch list, a selection of 25 sites from across the globe that hold great cultural and heritage significance but are being faced with economic, political or natural threats. This year's selection highlights themes of global issues such as climate change, imbalanced tourism, underrepresentation, and recovery from crisis, urging for prompt preservation plans.