Architecture News

Following much anticipation, the results of the report compiled by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) for UNESCO have finally been released. The report follows a visit to the city several months ago, where experts inspected Cartagena's heritage sites and the development of the Aquarela residential complex—a project that threatens Cartagena's status on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The inspection was carried out jointly by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mayor's Office of Cartagena, and ICOMOS advisor and expert Luis María Calvo, during which various plans and initiatives were presented to safeguard the heritage sites. The primary objective of the visit was to provide technical expertise and draft recommendations to improve the conservation of the Port, Fortresses, and Group of Monuments of Cartagena, without passing any value judgments during the process.

The World Architecture Festival has announced the shortlist for their 2018 awards slate, featuring 536 projects ranging from small family homes, to schools, stations, museums, large infrastructure and landscape projects. The world’s largest architectural award program, the WAF Awards year saw more participation this year than ever before, with more than 1000 entries received from projects located in 81 countries across the world.

At the 2018 World Architecture Festival in November, the shortlisted teams will be invited to present their designs to a jury of more than 100 international judges, who will determine the best projects within the completed and future project categories. These finalists will then move on to present to the 2018 Super Jury who will determine the winners of for the 2018 World Building of the Year, Future Project of the Year and Landscape of the Year.

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OMA has released new images of their proposed expansion project to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York. The “bold, freestanding building” forms part of the AK360 expansion project, which also includes an OMA-led preservation and improvement project of the existing campus.

The new building will add 29,000 square feet of much-needed space for the display of exhibitions and the museum’s art collection, while also incorporating visitor amenities linked through a wraparound promenade.

As part of our 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale coverage, we present the completed Austrian Pavilion. To read the initial proposal, refer to our previously published post, "Austrian Pavilion at 2018 Venice Biennale to Focus on the Importance of "Free Space" in Urban Spaces."

Part of the Austrian Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale, Henke Schreieck’s “Layers of Atmosphere” installation creates two opposing but interconnected spaces; one features a simple wooden structure, whereas the other offers a simple light atrium whose walls are covered in thin layers of paper. Connected by a walking bridge, the spaces provoke questions about architecture as space and architecture that creates space.

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Architectural Record released the 2018 edition of its annual list of the Top 300 Architecture Firms in the United States. Compiled by Record's sister publication Engineering News-Record, the list ranks firms based on architectural revenue from services performed in 2017. Gensler remains at the top for the seventh consecutive year. For more insight and comments from the leading firms' leadership, see Architectural Record's announcement.

Videos

Ten days after fire engulfed Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s iconic Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art for the second time in four years, there is still much to learn about how the fire started, how it could have been prevented, and what should now happen to the ruined masterpiece.

While a full investigation into the cause of the fire will likely take some time, the first reports are emerging of fire safety measures being only weeks away from installation before the tragedy struck. Meanwhile, we read new details on an almost-daily basis about the current state of the building, as architects and public figures share their views and opinions on the future of one of Glasgow’s most iconic buildings.

To keep you up to date on the situation, we have compiled the latest information arranged in three stages: the condition of the building before the latest fire, the current status of the building, and some views on the building’s fate.

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For readers around the world who monitored with enthusiasm the opening of Frida Escobedo’s Serpentine Pavilion, but were unable to reach London to experience it in real life, Photographer Nikhilesh Haval of nikreations is here to help.

Similar to previous productions of BIG’s 2016 Pavilion, and SelgasCano’s 2015 Pavilion, Haval 360-degree virtual tour explores Escobedo’s pavilion to capture aesthetic delights such as the Mexican celosias façade, shallow water pool, and curving, mirrored roof element. When inside the courtyard, don’t forget to look up!

A recent survey done by Chicago-based digital marketing firm Digital Third Coast asked 2,000 current or prospective homeowners for their feedback on their realistic dream house, along with their opinions on homeownership in general. Commissioned by an Illinois fireplace company, Northshore Fireplace, the survey presented respondents with a list of multiple choice questions, as well as open response questions to come up with an in-depth analysis of the 'American Dream Home of 2018.' The survey was done via the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform and included people from all across the country and different age groups. The main qualifying criteria for respondents was that they either owned a home currently or were looking to purchase a new home within the next 5 years.

Findings from the survey include ideal exterior and interior styles, most desired luxury, most popular words used to describe a dream home, average square footage, and much more. Based on the survey data, you can even compare design and finance ideas of GenX and Millenial homeowners to that of the Baby Boomers generation.

Read on for the detailed infographic that displays the resulting criteria for the 'American Dream Home of 2018.'

As part of our 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale coverage, we present the completed Finnish Pavilion. To read the initial proposal, refer to our previously published post, "Finnish Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale to Examine the Future of Libraries."

Conceived by Commissioner Hanna Harris, Director of Archinfo Finland, and Curator Dr Anni Vartola, the Finnish Pavilion presents Mind-Building at the 2018 Venice Biennale, an exhibition that explores the importance of the public library in Finnish culture. With exhibition design by Tuomas Siitonen and graphic design by Johannes Nieminen, it showcases Finnish libraries through a thematic selection of architectural designs, objects and specially commissioned sound and video work.

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In his ongoing study, Nikola Olic - a Serbian photographer based in Dallas, Texas - focuses on “architectural photography and abstract structural quotes that reimagine their subjects in playful, dimensionless and disorienting ways.” Often isolating elements of a facade, which obscures the viewer's sense of scale and perspective, Olic provides short descriptions of each image, acting as a “demystifying tool” and reminding us of the everyday nature of his subject matter. In the third collection shared with ArchDaily, the photographs are taken in Dallas, Fort Worth, Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Hong Kong.

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The parking garage: a loveless structure as necessary as it is unpopular. It can be easy for the architecture to reflect the unfancied nature, but sometimes, amidst all the mediocrity, beautiful design shines through.

Airport parking site Looking4.com has relaunched their award for the World’s Coolest Car Park, first published in 2013, that showcases some of the most innovative parking structures from around the world. Below is the 10 building shortlist—which one do you think deserves to take home the award?

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WXCA Architects’ proposed building has been chosen as the winning design of the Muzeum Książąt Lubomirskich in Wroclaw, Poland. Over 100 designs from all over the world were submitted for the project. However, the winning firm’s proposal provided a homogeneous balance of contemporary design with classical elements, a concept that led to their first-place prize.

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Why do we remember buildings, locations, and experiences? Even a place visited in our childhood can conjure emotions that make an impact on us through the memories they create. Angela Brooks and Larry Scarpa explain that the work of Brooks + Scarpa Architects aspires to make a lasting impression out of even a brief encounter. “We try to leave something behind,” says Scarpa, “something ingrained in people’s memory that sticks with them.”

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Donghua Chen & Partners released details of their proposal for the Lithuanian National Science and Innovation Center, an initiative known colloquially as “Science Island.” The competition saw entries from 144 teams, making it the largest design contest ever held in Lithuania. Donghua Chen & Partners were one of three finalists for the competition, with the entry by SMAR Architecture Studio ultimately chosen for realization.

The Donghua Chen & Partners proposal named the “Science Loop” sees a series of systems, including social, skyline, circulation, devolution, and recycling loops, organized as an integrated network.

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With a seminar on sustainable construction, La Ruta Solar kicked off Construye Solar 2019, the third edition of the competition that invites universities from Chile and around the world to design and build housing prototypes with high thermal and environmental standards, as well as low construction costs.

The event, which took place at the Chilean Chamber of Construction Auditorium in Santiago, Chile, and was sponsored by the Technological Center for Innovation in Construction (CTeC), was attended by the Undersecretary of Social Evaluation, Alejandra Candia, and the Chief of Staff of the Undersecretary of National Assets, Mario González, along with key speakers from industry and academia who shared their experience in developing innovations focused on sustainable housing.

Architectural print studio Desplans in collaboration with Library Illustrazioni have published the results of their architectural drawing competition titled “The Island: Between Utopia and Metaphor for Reality.” The competition asked participants to submit drawings and text interpreting the meaning of islands and utopias, considering “the double value inherent in the utopia” between aspiration and limitation.

The entries were judged by a jury of figures from Library and Desplans, with one winner and 12 honorable mentions selected. The winning entries were chosen with attention given to the relevance of the theme, dialogue between text and image, graphic research, and quality of reflection.

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Snøhetta has released images of its proposed sustainable data center concept, named “The Spark.” The project seeks to address the typical high-energy-consuming typology of the data center, transforming it into an “energy-producing resource for communities to generate their own power.”

The proposal is adaptable for a wide range of contexts and can be scaled for any location around the world, fueling connected cities with energy from the center’s excess heat.

Wood as a building material is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Though elemental and deceivingly simple, applied technology has transformed the building material. If you have questions about how to choose and use wood, Think Wood's mission is to provide access to the expanding pool of research and information.

In support of this year’s AIA theme, Blueprint for Better Cities, Think Wood is at the AIA Conference on Architecture to share research and resources on the benefits of wood and how it offers better solutions for the communities where we work, live and play. If you're at the conference be sure to stop by the Wood Pavilion at booth 757. If you can't make but are interested in learning more, read on to see the benefits of wood.