Henning Larsen has released images of their proposed urban development for the historic Imperial Shipyard at Gdansk, Poland. The 4.3million-square foot (400,000-square-meter) development seeks to transform the shipyard, built in 1844, into a “powerful financial and social engine building a thriving, mixed-use, inner-city neighborhood by the waterfront that is alive around the clock.”

The old industrial site has played a central role in the economic development of both Gdansk and Poland, serving as a key shipbuilding hub on the Baltic Coast. Through creating spines of public life centered on pedestrian/bicycle-friendly streets, Henning Larsen seeks to maintain the shipyard’s strong presence through waterfront living, work, and recreation.

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New images have been released of the $925million (£700million) redevelopment of west London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre, designed by Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC Architecture. The project will see an extensive renovation of the existing exhibition halls, and the addition of creative offices, studios, and co-working space.

The 130-year-old center will be transformed into a creative hub with 2.5 acres of public space, intended to “support ambitious enhancement to focus on creative industries, entrepreneurship, and new green space for community and visitors.”

The iconic Vlooybergtoren in Tielt-Winge, Belgium, designed by Close to bone, has been heavily damaged by an explosion. The striking piece of landscape architecture, opened in May 2015, was badly damaged on Saturday night/Sunday morning, as reported by national news outlet VRT.

VRT is reporting that an arson attack was responsible, with Mayor Rudi Beeken stating “there are clear signs that this was not an accident”.

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Eduardo Souto de Moura, in collaboration with META architectuurbureau, has released images of a proposed urban renewal project in the Belgian city of Bruges. The Beursplein & Congresgebouw consists of a new exhibition hall and covered public square on the site of a recently demolished trade fair complex.

The $46million (€40million) scheme seeks to act as a catalyst for urban renewal at the center of Bruges, with a dual role of exhibition hall and conference center capable of receiving business delegates on weekdays, and tourists on weekends.

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Videos

Bjarke Ingels and Jakob Lange have launched an Indiegogo fundraiser for an 80-foot-diameter ORB to be constructed for the 2018 Burning Man festival at Black Rock City, Nevada. Scaled at 1/500,000th of the earth’s surface, the reflective sphere sits “at the axis of art & utility, capturing the entire Black Rock City in an airborne temporal monument that mirrors the Burning Man experience to the Burners as single beings in the midst of an intentional community."

As well as acting as a wayfinder for navigating The Playa, the ORB sits as a tribute to mother earth and human expression, designed to blend with its surroundings during the night, and leave no trace following its deflation.

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Foster + Partners has published photographs of their recently-opened Apple Store in Macau, intended as a “new oasis of calm” against the city’s buzz and excitement. The store, opened on June 29th, was designed in response to a brief calling for “an inviting, contemplative space, where technology, entertainment, and arts come together to make a positive contribution to the city.”

Apple Cotai Central was designed in a close collaboration between Foster + Partners and Apple’s chief design officer Sir Jonathan Ive, a collaboration which has previously produced Apple stores at Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and Regent Street in London.

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The Naomi Milgrom Foundation has released images of the MPavilion 2018, designed by Barcelona-based architect Carme Pinós of Estudio Carme Pinós, and situated in Melbourne, Australia. The fifth MPavilion in an ongoing series, the Estudio Carme Pinós design seeks to invite interaction at an intersection between people, design, nature, and the city.

The first Spanish architect to design an MPavilion, Carme Pinós follows on from past MPavilion designers such as OMA in 2017, Studio Mumbai in 2016, and AL_A in 2015.

The Helsinki Central Library Oodi, designed by ALA Architects, is nearing completion in Finland. Due to open its doors on December 3rd 2018, the library is situated in the cultural district of Töölönlahti, where it will sit as a ”powerful and iconic temporary design” among other architectural landmarks.

Situated across from the Finnish Parliament House, the scheme represents an interaction between the state and its citizens, “a new avenue to promote freedom of speech and democracy.”

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Designers Studio Ohk have released details of their architecturally-inspired “Urban Soaps” range, reflecting built fragments of the South Korean capital Seoul. The four designs reference traditional and modern architectural elements in Seoul through their shapes and colors, “curated and blended by the team to highlight the city’s personality.”

The products began with an idea of “delivering regional stories, images, and experiences through an accessible medium” with soap chosen ultimately for its flexibility, and its appeal to multiple senses, such as sight, scent, and touch.

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Videos

It has been confirmed that parts of the Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building are to be dismantled. A statement by Glasgow City Council, reported by the BBC, revealed that substantial movement in the building’s walls had been detected from surveys following the June 15th fire, indicating the sudden partial collapse of the structure was likely.

Work on the dismantling is to begin “as a matter of urgency” focusing on the south façade, which was the most seriously damaged during the fire; the second blaze to devastate the building in four years.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has opened its exhibition of the Young Architects Program 2018 at its MoMA PS1 location in Long Island City, New York. Now in its 19th edition, the Young Architects Program offers emerging talent in the architectural world the opportunity to “design and present innovative projects, challenging each year’s winners to develop creative designs for a temporary, outdoor installation that provides shade, seating, and water.”

The winning project this year was “Hide & Seek” by Jennifer Newsom and Tom Carruthers of Dream The Combine, working on collaboration with Clayton Binkey of ARUP.

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Photographer Andres Gallardo, who has captured images of noted architectural works such as Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza and MAD Architects’ Harbin Opera House, has turned his lens on La Muralla Roja (The Red Wall) by Ricardo Bofill. Located in Spain’s Calpe region, the building plays on the popular architecture of the Arab Mediterranean Area, influenced by the Mediterranean tradition of the casbah.

In recent years, the 1968 development has extended its popularity beyond architectural circles, having been featured in the music video for Martin Solveig’s hit “Do It Right.” Gallardo’s photoset, which you can see below or on his website, zooms in on the sharp, clean-cut, vibrant form of the development, informed partly by shadows cast from the hot Mediterranean sun. Despite the somewhat exact and pristine nature of the development, Gallardo also captures details of human habitation and everyday life, such as plants, vehicles, and furniture.

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The Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) has presented their preliminary design approaches for three hospitals in Greece. Part of a €200 million ($240 million) healthcare initiative launched by the Greek government, RPBW will produce designs for a General Hospital of Kromotini, a Children’s Hospital in Thessaloniki, and the Evangelismos Hospital in Athens which will also form part of the University’s Faculty of Nursing.

The three schemes are united by a “people-centric” approach, with each project seeking to integrate into their natural environments with an emphasis on natural light. The projects will follow the design ethos of the Stavros Niarchos Foundational Cultural Center by RPBW, completed in 2016.

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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.

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!

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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