Virgin Hyperloop has announced that it will build a new Certification Center for an 800-acre site in West Virginia. Designed to test the company's futuristic transport system, the center will serve as a location for developing and validating the use of hyperloop technology. Coming with a $500 million price tag, the project will expand upon Virgin Hyperloop's current testing efforts in the desert north of Las Vegas.

Tokyo-based SANAA has designed a new addition to the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney. As the firm's first building in Australia, the project will transform the flagship art museum and connect through an outdoor public art garden overlooking Sydney Harbor. The new building is designed to contrast the Gallery’s 19th-century neo-classical building as a light, transparent and open addition.

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Sidewalk Labs has unveiled Delve, a new generative design tool that aims to help developers, architects and urban designers identify better neighborhood design options. It uses machine learning to reveal optimal design options from a series of core components, including buildings, open spaces, amenities, streets, and energy infrastructure. By applying machine learning, it explores millions of design possibilities for a given project while measuring the impact of design choices.

Croatia has long been a crossroads of culture. Located along the Adriatic Sea, it borders five countries and has some of the richest biodiversity in Europe. The built environment reflects influences from Central Europe and the Mediterranean, as well as both the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Today, a series of new housing projects are reinterpreting the country's past as architects and designers look to reimagine what the future holds.

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Landscape and design office Karres en Brands has won the international competition to design Norway’s National Logging Museum. Selected out of 136 submissions, the team's winning proposal was chosen by the jury and the Commission of Museums in Akershus for building connections to the regional wetlands and local history. Sited on Northern Europe's largest inland delta, the new museum will focus on Norway's cultural and natural heritage.

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London-based RCKa has designed a net-zero carbon retirement village for Chester in the United Kingdom. Located in Boughton Heath, the project was made with engineer Max Fordham to reduce carbon emissions. Nearly 15,000 square meters, the village will be made to achieve the Fitwel Standard with more than 140 apartments as an on-site, extra-care development.

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A new 550-ton steel bridge has been placed next to the new United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. The bridge was designed by the same team as the adjacent Olympic & Paralympic complex - Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Anderson Mason Dale, and KL&A - while taking inspiration from the motion of athletes. The design features a 250-foot curved steel structure that was made to float above the rail yard.

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Herzog & de Meuron have designed Switzerland's first middle school placed on the roof of a shopping center in Basel-Stadt. The MParc Dreispitz shopping center will accommodate a Sekundarschule (middle school) for 600 students as part of the overall transformation of Dreispitz Nord. The design aims to set a precedent for future urban developments as the school becomes a central part of the site's overall master plan.

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Foster + Partners have begun construction on Avenida Cordoba 120, a new 35-story office tower in Buenos Aires. Sited between the traditional city center and the main entrance to the Puerto Madero harbor area, the project is designed to become a landmark building along the city's skyline. Balancing structure and nature, the tower is made to create a new standard for office design in Argentina and the larger region.

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Designing for human scale begins with contemporary culture and everyday life. As the COVID-19 pandemic transformed how we work and live around the world, it's also changed how we think about human scale in the city. For Brazilian architect Leonardo Fernandes Dias of LADO Arquitetura, the global transformation in urban life is directly tied to health, public space and architecture.

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International design practice Snøhetta has been selected as the recipient of the 2020 National Design Award for Architecture by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The honor recognizes both the impact of the studio's work, as well a particular focus on social and environmental sustainability. The awards are meant to increase awareness and understanding of how design improves everyday life.

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Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has received approval for Lumina Village, a redevelopment of the former Kellogg's site in Stretford (Manchester, United Kingdom). Approved by the Trafford Council's planning committee, the mixed-use design takes its name from lumens as a nod to the site’s history and the future of the neighborhood. The focal point of the new community will be a green space surrounded by local businesses and contemporary workspaces.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill have transformed the historic Beaux-Arts Cook County Hospital in Chicago. Designed to help anchor the neighborhood's resurgence, the project team worked to preserve, restore, and adapt the former hospital building as the first phase of a proposed $1 billion redevelopment plan. The proposal aims to revitalizes the surrounding Illinois Medical District and provide new amenities to the area.

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Snøhetta has won the international architecture competition to design the new city hall in Cheongju, South Korea. Working with local partner Tomoon Architects and Engineers, the team proposes new connections to the urban context to promote a sense of shared ownership for citizens and visitors alike. The design aims to create an open, inclusive city hall for Cheongju that will serve as a symbol of collaboration and civic engagement.

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OMA's new MEETT Exhibition and Convention Centre in Toulouse has officially opened. OMA Partner Chris van Duijn led the development, the third largest parc des expositions in France outside of Paris. The masterplan of MEETT was conceived as an active strip - ‘une bande active’ - forming a physical border between urban development and countryside. The project was made to help organize an integrated development approach for the city.

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Storytelling is at the heart of architecture and design. For Josh Sanabria, CEO of independent media company DesignClass, great stories foster curiosity and creativity. Moving between design and technology, Sanabria has launched numerous competitions and interactive classes to celebrate design and advocate its impact. In a new interview with ArchDaily, Sanabria explores storytelling, media and technology, as well as how designers can create meaningful impact through their work.

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