Architecture News

Oystra, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, is a 128,000-square-metre seafront development located on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, that comprises 950 residential units, a comprehensive range of shopping, dining, and leisure amenities. Ras Al Khaimah, one of the UAE's fastest-growing emirates, is projected to see a 55% increase in its population by 2030, driving the need for an additional 45,000 homes. The emirate's tourism sector is also experiencing significant growth, with the number of visitors expected to rise to 3.5 million annually by 2030, up from 100,000 in 2013.

+ 2

Architect Andrea Faraguna is the curator of the Kingdom of Bahrain's national pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale. The exhibition, titled Heatwave, is a site-specific installation that explores passive cooling strategies for public spaces, inspired by Bahrain's traditional architecture and reimagined through contemporary approaches. Its technical response to the global challenge of rising urban temperatures was recognized by the Biennale's international jury, which awarded it this year's Golden Lion for Best National Participation. While on site in Venice, ArchDaily's editors had a chance to discuss with curator Andrea Faraguna about the context that gave rise to the pavilion, the mechanisms put in place, and his perspective on events such as the Venice Architecture Biennale.

+ 4

Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain announced plans to move into a historic building in Place du Palais-Royal in Paris. Originally built in 1855, the Haussmannian building is reimagined by architect Jean Nouvel and scheduled to open on October 25, 2025. The collaboration between Fondation Cartier and Jean Nouvel dates back to 1994 when the architect designed the "Parisian Monument," a glass and steel building on Boulevard Raspail that serves as the institution's current headquarters.

+ 13

The Lisbon Architecture Triennale has announced Yasmeen Lari as the recipient of the 2025 Millennium bcp Lifetime Achievement Award. With a career spanning over six decades, the pioneering Pakistani architect has consistently demonstrated how architecture can serve as a tool for social justice, environmental resilience, and inclusive development.

The UK Government has revealed five shortlisted design concepts for the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial, set to be located in the historically significant landscape of St James's Park in London. The proposals, now accessible through a newly launched online gallery, mark a key stage in the development of a national tribute to the late monarch. Public feedback on the exhibited proposals will be gathered until 19 May 2025 and will inform the Committee's decision on the winning design team, expected to be announced in early summer 2025. The final design is anticipated to be unveiled in 2026, coinciding with the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II's birth.

+ 16

BIG–Bjarke Ingels Group was commissioned by A.R.M. Holding to design the transformation of Dubai's Jebel Ali Racecourse into a new urban district measuring 5 square kilometers. The design aligns with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which focuses on enhancing pedestrian mobility as a pillar for promoting sustainable urban development. The master plan is anchored by a central park, reconnecting the racecourse site to the city.

+ 4

Qatar has announced that architect Lina Ghotmeh, founder and principal of the Paris-based studio Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture, has been selected to design its permanent national pavilion in the Giardini della Biennale, the historic venue of La Biennale di Venezia since 1895. The new building will be on a site adjacent to the Book Pavilion and commissioned by H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa on behalf of the State of Qatar. With this addition, Qatar becomes one of only 31 countries with a permanent pavilion in the Giardini, joining a select group of nations with dedicated exhibition spaces. Only two new national pavilions have been inaugurated there in the past 50 years: Australia in 1988 and the Republic of Korea in 1996. Lina Ghotmeh's new Qatar Pavilion will serve as a lasting platform for showcasing the country's artistic and architectural contributions, with rotating exhibitions presented during each edition of the Biennale.

+ 4

The Lisbon Architecture Triennale has revealed the five finalists for the 2025 Millennium bcp Début Award, celebrating emerging practices that are redefining the role of architecture across diverse geographies and realities. Spanning three continents, these studios will present their work during the opening days of the Triennale (October 2–4, 2025), in a public event where the winner will be announced.

The exhibition "Intelligens. Talent. EUmies Awards. Young Talent 2025" has officially opened as a Collateral Event of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Organized by Fundació Mies van der Rohe with the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, the exhibition presents the Shortlist and Finalist projects of the EUmies Awards in the Young Talent category. It brings together 12 master's thesis projects from 11 architecture schools across 7 countries, offering a comprehensive insight into emerging voices in architecture, urban planning, and landscape design.

On 19 June 2025, the exhibition will expand to include models of the three winning proposals, which will be announced during the EUmies Awards Day 2025 at Palazzo Michiel in Venice. This event will also unveil the winners of the Young Talent Open, which extends the awards' reach beyond the Creative Europe countries to include participants from the Council of Europe member states and the Asia-Pacific region. All selected works will be documented in a publication and incorporated into the EUmies Awards Archive, contributing to a growing repository of architectural experimentation and discourse.

Read on to discover the 12 finalist projects of the EUmies Awards Young Talent 2025.

+ 14

Titled Paraíso, hoje. [Paradise, today.], the exhibition representing Portugal at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia addresses architecture as a cultural construction of landscape. Curated by architects Paula Melâneo, Pedro Bandeira, and Luca Martinucci, landscape architect Catarina Raposo, and video artist Nuno Cera, it offers an immersive installation featuring videos created using new digital technologies and artificial intelligence, along with an Atlas of images. Together, they construct a critical exploration of the proposed theme, the allegory of a "Paradise." This year, the Portuguese exhibition changed location, moving from Palazzo Franchetti to the Fondaco Marcello building, next to Venice's Grand Canal. It will remain open to visitors and host a series of debates until 23 November 2025.

+ 50

The Kingdom of Bahrain's Heatwave exhibition, curated by architect Andrea Faraguna has been announced as the winner of the Golden Lion for the Best National Participation at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. The winner has been selected by an international jury comprising of Swiss curator, critic, and art historian Hans Ulrich Obrist as jury chair, South African architect, lecturer, and curator Mpho Matsipa, and Italian curator Paola Antonelli. The awards ceremony is broadcast live from the headquarters of the Biennale at Ca'Giustinian. The pavilion stands out for addressing the pressing issue of extreme heat through a site-specific installation that showcases passive cooling strategies rooted in Bahrain's climatic realities and cultural context.

+ 7

The 19th edition of one of the world's most renowned architectural events opens to the public this week. The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, titled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. and curated by Carlo Ratti, will run from Saturday, May 10, to Sunday, November 23, 2025. This year's edition stands out for both its scale and its expanded range of venues, partly due to the ongoing renovation of traditional sites such as the Central Pavilion in the Giardini. The event is set to transform Venice into what the curator describes as "a living laboratory."

The inauguration ceremony, to be held on May 10, will also feature the announcement of the official awards by the International Jury, chaired by Hans Ulrich Obrist and composed of Paola Antonelli and Mpho Matsipa. On this occasion, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be presented to philosopher Donna Haraway, while the Special Golden Lion in Memoriam will honor the late architect Italo Rota. Alongside the international exhibition, national participations and a broad range of special events will explore the Biennale's invitation, making this one of the most extensive architecture exhibitions in the Biennale's history.

+ 12

At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, Egypt presents Let's Grasp the Mirage, its national pavilion offering an interactive exploration of sustainability through the symbolic lens of the Egyptian oasis. Curated by Salah Zikri, Ebrahim Zakaria, and Emad Fikry, and commissioned by the Ministry of Culture Egypt and Accademia d'Egitto, the project reflects on the delicate balance between conservation and development, aligning with the Biennale's 2025 theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective."

+ 10

PILA, an architecture studio based in Athens and New York, has released its design for a new educational building at Anatolia College, located in Thessaloniki, Greece. The project, which serves the institution's tertiary-level programs, was the result of an invited architectural competition. The project is part of the institution's long-term campus master plan and is intended to accommodate evolving academic needs while incorporating sustainable design strategies. The building is scheduled for completion by fall 2027 and is part of Anatolia College's broader efforts to expand its academic infrastructure and engage with the evolving landscape of higher education in Greece.

+ 3

The Pritzker Architecture Prize, in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, hosted On Land: A Model for Community, the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Lecture and Panel Discussion. The event took place at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, May 3rd.

Barcelona-based architecture studio Bofill Taller de Arquitectura was commissioned to design the Royal Arts Complex (RAC) by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City in 2019. Currently under construction, the 320,000-square-meter building complex comprises thirteen structures, each contributing to the promotion of artistic expression. The project is located within King Salman Park, a 13.3-square-kilometer park being developed on the site of Riyadh's former airport. The broader development includes mixed-use projects to transform the area into a major recreational district. The overall masterplan also features a stadium by Populous, planned for the FIFA 2034 World Cup.

+ 18

Titled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. and curated by Carlo Ratti, the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale will be holding the 19th International Architecture Exhibition from May 10 to November 23, 2025.

The 2025 edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale is hosting a total of 65 National Pavilions. Among them, four countries, Azerbaijan, Oman, Qatar, and Togo, will be participating for the first time. The exhibition will unfold across three main locations: 26 pavilions at the Giardini, 22 at the Arsenale, and 15 spread throughout Venice's city center. The exhibition will bring together over 750 participants, forming interdisciplinary and multi-generational teams, and is anticipated to be the largest in the Biennale's history.

+ 55

As one of the most important and visited contemporary architecture exhibitions worldwide, the Venice Architecture Biennale extends beyond the grounds of the Giardini and the Arsenale, aiming to engage the entire city in discussions on relevant issues, challenges, and opportunities within the architectural profession. This year's Biennale, curated by Carlo Ratti, explores the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective," inviting visitors to consider how architecture, technology, and nature intersect to shape the future.

As part of this year's event, 11 collateral exhibitions organized by various national and international institutions offer a range of perspectives on topics such as sustainability, cultural landscapes, and adaptive architecture. These exhibitions, spread throughout Venice, contribute to the broader conversation on the evolving role of architecture in addressing global challenges and promoting a more sustainable and interconnected future.

+ 7