Architecture News

A design for a pavilion constructed out of recycled clothes hangers has been selected as the winner of the sixth annual City of Dreams Pavilion Competition. The temporary structure will be built on Governors Island and available to the public for summer 2016, pending final approval and fundraising.

Hosted by FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY), the competition speculates on possible futures with solutions to the current strain on economic and natural resources. Designers are required to consider their materials from sourcing to disposal, or ideally, reuse, promoting sustainable thinking.

Over 100 design proposals were submitted, and the jury selected four finalists who were each given a month to further develop their designs in response to jury comments. See the winning design and the three finalists after the break.

Construction is underway on David Chipperfield Architect's Mughal Museum in Agra, India, near the Taj Mahal's eastern gate. Part of a larger Archohm-led masterplan, which includes the Taj Orientation Center and the Agra Heritage Center, the project will provide 5200-square-meters of permanent and temporary exhibition space entirely "dedicated to the history and culture of the Mughals, a dynasty that ruled over Northern India for over three centuries," says the practice.

99 Hudson Street, soon to be New Jersey's tallest tower, has officially broken ground. Designed by Perkins Eastman, the 900-foot-tall mixed-use condominium tower is said to be one of the tallest residential buildings in the US and will "dramatically remake the Jersey City skyline," according to Mayor Steven Fulop.

“99 Hudson will mark a new milestone for Jersey City’s resurgence as a truly great city in which to live and work. For decades now, people on the west side of the Hudson have marveled at Manhattan’s skyline, but today Jersey City is developing its own dynamic city, along with a world-class skyline. To play a part in this transformation is quite an honor,” said Perkins Eastman principal Ming Wu.

Wolfgang Buttress’ The Hive, the gold medal-winning UK Pavilion from Milan Expo 2015, is being relocated to London's famous botanic garden, Kew. The mesmerizing (and photogenic) "beehive" was designed to give visitors a glimpse into the life of a working bee; its 169,300 individual aluminium components, reaching 17-meters and fitted with hundreds of LED lights, created a multi-sensory experience that shed light on the importance of the pollinator.

"We are truly delighted to announce The Hive's move to Kew, both for its magnificent aesthetic appeal and for the resonance it has with our work – I can think of no better home for this remarkable marriage of architecture and science," Richard Deverell, director of the Kew, told Horticulture Week.

As of June 29, 2016, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)’s Intern Development Program will be renamed the “Architectural Experience Program," or AXP. Part of a wider change in the industry to retire the term “intern,” the decision was made after years of research and outreach by various committees, as well as feedback from “state licensing boards, industry leaders and emerging professionals.”

The program, developed by the NCARB, is meant to guide aspiring architects through their early career, helping them earn their license and practice independently. NCARB will continue referring to those working toward licensure as “aspiring architects” or “exam candidates.”

For this edition of The Urbanist, Monocle 24's weekly "guide to making better cities," the team ask whether the typology of the department store – their urban impact and the ways in which they have redefined the shopping habits of many. The show examines the history of the London department store and heads to Paris to explore France’s first, Le Bon Marché. The team also draw parallels between Istanbul’s old 'hans' and their contemporary equivalents.

Your pet's den no longer has to be an eyesore. South Korean brand BAD MARLON has designed a line of modern pet homes that would meet the specs of any architect. The minimalist collection is made up of three dog houses, two of which are assembled magnetically, and one beautifully crafted interlocking pen. Take a look for yourself, after the break.

Oxford University has released five shortlisted proposals to overhaul and extend its St Hilda's College. Part of the invited competition Redefining St Hilda's, the concepts are designed to expand student and Fellow accommodation, while providing new social and teaching spaces, Middle Common Room, Porters' Lodge and entrance for the college.

“We are keenly aware of the legacy we give to future generations as well as the opportunity to enhance Oxford itself. This initiative is all about reimagining this beautiful site and creating an academic environment which is pleasing and satisfying to use, and which enables the College to flourish over the next hundred years,” says St Hilda’s College Principal, Professor Sir Gordon Duff.

Read on for a glance at the five shortlisted proposals...

Following an international open call for 'Intervention Strategies' which connect and correspond to the 2016 Oslo Architecture Triennale’s theme—After Belonging—five proposals have been selected to be developed as part of its core program, to be displayed and discussed throughout the course of the event. The jury have been "pleased and impressed by the wide range of proposals, their creativity, seriousness and sometimes also the humor with which [the submissions] approach issues of real gravity, and by the care and hard work that was evident in almost all of them."

Guangzhou, China's third largest city, is planning to rebuild four bridges in its region - the Renmin, Jiangwan, Haiyin, and Liede Bridges. Three teams have been shortlisted for each bridge, all of which are Chinese practices with the exception of Zaha Hadid Architects, Knight Architects and NEXT Architects. As BDOnline reports, the finalists are expected to propose a range of options, from small upgrades to complete rebuilds. A winner for each will be selected in February, after the Chinese new year.

The shortlisted practices for each bridge include...

Adjaye, Henning Larsen, and wHY are among seven practices shortlisted in an invited design competition to design the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art (LMoCA). The new museum, planned for the center of Riga, Latvia, hopes to become "the most visited art museum in the Baltic States, as well as a cultural arts center of interregional significance." It's collection will feature regional art and visual culture from the 1960s.

The seven shortlisted teams are...

Budapest-born printmaker and photographer Zsolt Hlinka has created Urban Symmetry, a Wes Anderson reminiscent photo series depicting perfectly-symmetrical buildings on the banks of the Danube River. Using partial photos of the buildings, Hlinka creates fictitious compositions through reflections, resulting in new personalities and character in the portraits.

Lima-based architect Karina Puente has a personal project: to illustrate each and every "invisible" city from Italo Calvino's 1972 novel. The book, which imagines imaginary conversations between the (real-life) Venetian explorer Marco Polo and the aged Mongol ruler Kublai Khan has been instrumental in framing approaches to urban discourse and the form of the city. According to Puente, who has shared six drawings with ArchDaily, "each illustration has a conceptual process, some of which take more time than others." Usually "I research, think, and ideate over each city for three weeks before making sketches." The final drawings and cut-outs take around a week to produce.

An image of Álvaro Siza's first US building has been released. The luxury New York tower, planned for the corner of West 56th Street and Eleventh Avenue in Midtown, will rise up to 120 meters (just over 400 feet) and offer 80 units, a private roof garden, sun deck, spa and fitness center, and more.

Siza is working with real estate development firms Sumaida + Khurana and LENY on the project. Sumaida + Khurana is the same developer who is collaborating with Tadao Ando on a luxury condominium at 152 Elizabeth Street.

Construction is underway on a new office and retail tower in the Dubai International Financial Center district (DIFC). Designed by Foster + Partners, the 1.5-million-square-foot "ICD Brookfield Place" has officially broke ground and is expected to be completed by late 2018.

"The beginning of construction at ICD Brookfield Place marks the next phase of one of Dubai's most prestigious developments at the DIFC. We were honored to be chosen by ICD Brookfield to design a project that we believe will become a new social focus for Dubai, combining world class office space with a major civic plaza," says Foster.