Concrete polarizes opinion. Used almost universally in modern construction today, it is a material capable of provoking intense loathing as well as stirring passions. Its development can be traced as far back as Roman times. However, it was in the twentieth century that its full capabilities became realised. Over the past 100 years architects and engineers have seized upon the possibilities of concrete enthusiastically. Its widespread use in almost all building types we experience has given it a significance and meaning that has - for better or worse - leapt beyond buildings into politics, film, literature and art.

MDC 2015 is headlined by an impressive panel of internationally acclaimed architects whose insights will spark your creative energy and rekindle your passion for design. Frank Barkow and Regine Leibinger of Barkow Leibinger, Junya Ishigami of Junya Ishigami + Associates, Carme Pinós of Estudio Carme Pinós and Bernard Tschumi of Bernard Tschumi Architects are set to join you in Monterey alongside renown U.S. architects such as Clive Wilkinson, FAIA of Clive Wilkinson architects and Rand Elliott of Elliott + Associates Architects. Sprinkled among the headliners are imaginative presentations from some of California’s finest emerging talent and an array of continuing education options which will round out the weekend. This conference will inspire participants and remind you of why you got into architecture in the first place.

Join the CTBUH New York City Chapter for a discussion on the VIA 57 West building. Guest speakers Bjarke Ingels (BIG), Aine Brazil (Thornton Tomasetti), and Jeff Crompton (Hunter Roberts) will discuss the architecture, engineering and the construction process behind this unique structure. VIA stands tall at 467 feet and is one of the most architecturally distinctive buildings constructed in New York City. The building provides a dramatic visual gateway to Manhattan’s skyline along the Hudson River. VIA is a hybrid between the European perimeter block and a traditional Manhattan high-rise development. The building’s unique shape combines the advantages of both: the compactness and efficiency of a courtyard building providing density, a sense of intimacy, and expansive views. The form of the building shifts depending on the viewer’s vantage point. While appearing like a pyramid from the West Side Highway, it turns into a dramatic glass spire when seen from West 58th Street.

If you are interested in the nexus between health, design, and the urban setting, join researchers, policymakers, practitioners, designers and others for an evening of dynamic, diverse presentations, conversations, and drinks to celebrate the launch of this exciting new initiative.

Designed by Richard Meier & Partners Architects, The Ulm Stadthaus presents a new exhibition of some of the most iconic and current projects by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier. The works on display explore the development of the work of Richard Meier with some of his early residential projects in contrast to some of the more recent urban and large scale projects all around the globe in New York City, Hamburg, Prague and Mexico City.

The exhibition includes a selection of models, original sketches, drawings and photographs. Some of the projects exhibited on the show include the house designed by Richard Meier for his parents in Essex Fells, New Jersey, the Ulm Stadthaus, and the iconic Smith House in Darien, Connecticut. Other projects in the exhibition are some of the more recent and large scale developments such as the Reforma Towers, the East River Masterplan, Coffee Plaza, the Charles & Perry Street Condominiums, ECM City Tower and the unbuilt competition proposals for Madison Square Garden and the New York Historical Society.

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From the 15th to the 18th September 2015, Copenhagen will play host to the international RISING Architecture Week. For four days the city will turn into a sizzling melting pot of over fifty events, site visits, bicycle tours and debates throughout the city.

Among these events is a two-day conference where 500 professionals and visionaries meet to exchange ideas and discuss the theme Growing Cities. The conference has a venue for speaks, debates and interviews, and another venue for workshops, networking and innovation labs. "RISING gathers a very big, international audience of architects, developers and city planners, which gives professionals a unique opportunity to develop and exchange ideas across borders. I’m very much looking forward to participate in RISING this September," says Sergey Kuznetsov, City Chief Architect of Moscow and keynote speaker at RISING.

The first retrospective exhibition of her work in Russia, Zaha Hadid at The State Hermitage Museum provides unprecedented insight into the work of Zaha Hadid in a mid-career retrospective highlighting her exploration of the Russian Avant-garde at the beginning of her career, and the continuing influence of its core principles on her work today.

The exhibition, in the historic Nicolaevsky Hall of the Winter Palace, showcases many of the seminal paintings, drawings, models and design objects of Hadid’s forty-year repertoire; conveying the ingenuity and dynamism of her architectural projects in variety of media including film, photography and installations.

From July 5th to 12th 180 Creative Camp will invade the center of Portugal, bringing to Abrantes unique creative collaborations between several celebrated national and international artists in areas like street art, video, design, music and architecture.

Everyone is invited to participate in this special week in Abrantes, watch and take part in the activities - from concerts, to workshops and talks - and work with the artists that will be a part of 180 Creative Camp.

Street artist INSA, director Alex Turvey, electronic musician Iago Lewis, German collective Plastique Fantastique and multidisciplinary artist Christopher Derek Bruno are some of the names that 180 Creative Camp is bringing to Abrantes during the week of July 5th to 12th.