Senior Editor at ArchDaily based in Los Angeles.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced three joint winners of the Rethink: 2025 international design competition. Looking for designs for a post-pandemic world, the competition invited architects and students to consider what life and our built environment could look like by 2025. In total, there were over 147 entries from 18 countries that were submitted to reimagine daily life.
Architecture is grounded in optimism and a belief in what lies ahead. Building a body of work around this idea, architect and author Lance Hosey serves as a Design Principal and Chief Impact Officer at HMC Architects. A Fellow of both the American Institute of Architects and the US Green Building Council, Hosey is working to champion more sustainable design strategies and reconsider how architecture is practiced.
The London Design Festival has announced the program for its 18th edition to be held this fall. Despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the festival will return to the city as "a symbol of London's determination to maintain its creative and cultural leadership." Since its inception in 2003, London Design Festival brings together practitioners, retailers and educators to celebrate and promote design annually across the capital.
HKS Architects has won a commission to design a mountain resort on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East of Russia. Made for Three Volcano Park, the plan is envisioned as a year-round mountain resort focusing on the ecological side of the Kamchatka Region. Facilities will include a range of ski-in ski-out hotels, an eco-village, cable cars and residences overlooking views of the Moutnovsky, Vilyuchik and Gorely Volcanoes.
Architecture is defined by its humanity. This is especially true in a year defined by the coronavirus pandemic and global calls for social justice. The impact has been felt across sectors, including in higher education. As Architect for the University of Virginia, Alice Raucher advises the university on capital planning and design guidelines. Working to address unique design challenges, Raucher is acknowledging the University's past while planning for the future.
The City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee has approved plans for the Museum of London's new home at West Smithfield. Designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan with conservation architect Julian Harrap, the project is one of the largest cultural projects happening in Europe. The proposal aims to transform the existing campus into a 24-hour cultural destination that celebrates its historic structures.
A new train station by Toronto-based architecture studio PARTISANS has been approved for The Orbit, Canada's city of the future project. Designed to be a new central neighborhood for the Canadian town of Innisfil, the station was made in response to the potential arrival of high-speed mass transit that connects to downtown Toronto. The Transit Hub aims for rapid and responsible growth, fostering sustainable development and preserving the core attributes of Innisfil's landscape and community.
Recycling has long been an entry point into sustainable design. It's personal, achieved at a micro scale where individuals can reduce waste and preserve energy. But between resource shortages, environmental habitat loss and the global climate crisis, there has been a shift in daily practices towards more circular thinking. Increasingly, the need to sustain life is part of a continuous process of production, resorption, and recycling where waste becomes the input for production.
The Getty Foundation has announced over $2 million in grants for 13 significant 20th-century buildings as part of the Keeping It Modern program. Launched in 2014, this is the final year of grants for this conservation initiative to help professionals worldwide engage in the proactive research and planning needed for the long-term preservation of modern buildings.
The Hirshhorn Museum's new plan for renovating its sculpture garden is receiving criticism for undoing postwar landscape features. The plan by Japanese artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto aims to open up the site to the National Mall and create space for large-scale contemporary works and performances. The concept is made to raise visibility for the garden and welcome more visitors to the museum.
A team of Drury University faculty have created a crystalline design for the Springdale Veteran Memorial Competition. Sited in Arkansas, the proposal was made by Sara Khorshidifard, Payman Sadeghi and Karen Spence. Using the crystal metaphor and drawing inspiration from its shape, formation, and built tactility, the concept is made to capitalize on the Diamond State’s history and topology.
Urban connections define modern cities. From public transportation to walking and cycling paths, mobility has the potential to enrich urban life. In Europe, planners and designers have a long history of working through city connections to integrate with existing historic fabrics and make room for contemporary transport solutions.
Perkins and Will have designed a new twisting School of Continuing Studies for York University in Toronto, Canada. Consolidating classes that are currently held across four buildings, the nearly 100,000 square foot building is made to become an iconic gateway site and showcase York's commitment to non-traditional students.
FCBStudios has unveiled the second phase of a regeneration plan for North Hayle Harbour. Drawing inspiration from the historic coastal Cornish town, the design includes 377 homes alongside extensive community facilities. The project teams to establish a location that will become a residential, visitor, business and cultural destination.
Cities around the world are facing new questions of urban flight. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, it exacerbated a range of living conditions and housing crises, from telecommuting and construction to global economies. As Fast Company reports, almost 40% of those living in cities have considered moving out since the pandemic started. With the possibility of the pandemic stretching on for years, more urbanites are considering the move to rural areas and small towns.
Danish architects Third Nature have designed a new proposal for a regenerative tourism site in Japan. Called Nordisk Hygge Circles - Ugakei, the project was completed with Japanese engineers Structured Environment and sustainability experts Henrik Innovation. The new adventure park consists of cabins and glamping tents, a camping area along the estuary, and a learning area to encourage activities in nature.
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Design practice MVRDV has unveiled a new plan to transform their seminal Dutch Pavilion from the 2000 World Expo in Hannover. The project will convert the former Expo Pavilion into a co-working office building, as well as two structures for student housing and parking. The team aims to reinterpret the original project’s concept for the two new buildings and celebrate the iconic structure.
New details have been released on the 5th Istanbul Design Biennial. Curated by Mariana Pestana with Sumitra Upham and Billie Muraben, the Biennial aims to open on October 15, 2020. A new structure will bring together different formats of display under the theme Empathy Revisited, and the designs will include interventions in a range of exhibition venues, outdoor spaces and digital platforms.
