Architecture News

A new museum dedicated to the life and work of French fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent has opened in the Moroccan city of Marrakech. Designed by Studio KO, the building sits a short distance away from Jardin Majorelle – the home acquired by Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in 1980. With a large permanent exhibition space designed by scenographist Christophe Martin, showcasing the collections of it's namesake, the museum also features temporary exhibition spaces, a research library and archives, an auditorium, bookstore, and a terrace café.

One of New York City’s original skyscrapers and the former largest office building in the world, the Equitable Building, is set to receive a $50 million renovation and restoration that will bring the historic structure up to 21st century standards.

Built in 1915 in New York’s Financial District by architect Ernest R. Graham, the 1.9-million-square-foot Equitable Building was a pioneer in the city’s skyscraper boom, spanning an entire Broadway block between Pine and Cedar Streets. A simple extrusion of the site footprint, the building was notorious for its overbearing relationship to the street – outcry over which eventually led to the creation of the city’s famous setback zoning laws.

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New renderings have been revealed of Jean Nouvel’s first Miami project, Monad Terrace, as construction begins on site. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel in collaboration with Kobi Karp, the highrise project is set to rise on West Avenue in the premier South Beach district of Miami Beach, setting a new standard of building integrity and climate resilience for the city.

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Pavilion designs by three emerging architecture practices have been chosen as finalists in the inaugural Hong Kong Young Architects & Designers Competition. Established by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), the competition is the first of its kind in Hong Kong, aimed at “showcasing the creativity and potential of local architects and designers still in the early stages of their careers.”

A total of 320 entries were received from Hong Kong residents who either have been practicing for fewer than 10 years or who are currently studying architecture at the university level. The competition asked designers to envision a temporary pavilion that will be built inside the Nursery Park at the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Three projects have been selected as the winners of The American Architecture Prize (AAP) 2017, which aims to recognize “creativity and innovation in architectural, interior and landscape design.”

An expert Jury judged thousands of entries from 68 countries and winners were selected from 41 categories. The jurors included Peggy Deamer, Professor of Architecture at Yale University; Troy C. Therrien, Curator of Architecture and Digital Initiatives at the Guggenheim Foundation and Museum; Ben Van Berkel, Principal of UNStudio and Professor at Harvard University Graduate School, and many more.

It has been a privilege to receive such exceptional entries competing for the AAP this year. Every submission is outstanding in its own way. All these entries from accomplished architects and architecture firms give us the opportunity to not only promote amazing designs but also to marvel together at the evolution of architecture, interior design and landscape architecture across the globe - AAP President Hossein Farmani.

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The Naoshima Pavilion by Sou Fujimoto is one of the more recent additions to the world-renowned "Art Island," and is located only meters away from Naoshima's boat terminal (designed by SANAA). The lightweight, highly-transparent mesh-like steel structure was conceived and constructed for the 2016 Setouchi Triennial. Photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu has turned his lens to the project which, in spite of its modest size, casts a striking silhouette on the island's coastline.

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Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto have revealed plans for a brand new community on Toronto’s Eastern Waterfront that will bring together “forward-thinking urban design and new digital technology to create people-centred neighbourhoods that achieve precedent-setting levels of sustainability, affordability, mobility, and economic opportunity.”

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Adjaye Associates has unveiled designs for SPYSCAPE, a new museum and interactive experience that illuminates the world of espionage from historical secret intelligence to modern day hacking through a collection of rare artifacts, exhilarating storytelling and immersive personalized experiences.

Located a stone’s throw from Times Square in New York City, the 60,000-square-foot space will use architecture as a key element of the museum experience. Inspired by the spaces occupied by the world’s most significant spy organizations, the building interiors will resemble a small town, with a variety of spaces unfolding beneath a vaulted canopy. Circulation will lead visitors through a wide range of vantage points and perspectives, playing with perceptions and drawing you into the individual pavilions.

Architecture has been historically deployed as a tool to construct and concretize legacies. Whereas only a few built edifices have left a large enough impact on the world, or have been around long enough, to enter into the canon of architectural legend, the seven wonders of the ancient world have achieved both. With only one—the Great Pyramid of Giza—still standing, the others have all taken a unique position in the architectural imagination, with representations over the years of structures such as the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria changing according to the whims of artists of the time. Nevertheless, the spectacular stories behind each of these lost landmarks is worth revisiting – which is exactly what travel company Expedia has done in this series of illustrations.

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Hariri Pontarini Architects and Pinnacle International have unveiled the design of three glassy skyscrapers that will make up a new development on the Toronto waterfront.

Known as One Yonge, the complex will consist of over 4 million square feet of mixed-use space spread across five new buildings and a total renovation of the existing Toronto Star building.

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ARCHMARATHON has announced the winners of their 2017 Awards Program as the event, which took place at Faena Forum in Miami from October 12-14, comes to a close. Now in its 4th edition, the Awards focus on architecture studios that have been actively practicing in USA, Canada, Central America and Latin America.

Winners were chosen by a jury consisting of Luca Molinari, Francisco Pardo, Sebastian Salvat, Alejandro Paredes Fontanals and ArchDaily’s David Basulto and David Assael in in 8 themed categories: MOVING, LIVING, DREAMING, WORKING, CHILLING OUT, CARING, VISIONING and RE-THINKING. This year’s overall winner was awarded to Rozana Montiel | Estudio de Arquitectura + Alin V. Wallach for their community space, Common Unit.

See all the winners below:

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The winners of the inaugural Africa Architecture Awards have been announced. Established by St. Gobain with the goal of “stimulating conversations about African architecture as it cements its place in a global continuum,” the event represents the first ever Pan-African awards program of its kind, with more than 300 projects from 32 African nations being considered by a steering panel led by Professor Lesley Lokko, ambassador Phill Mashabane, advisor Zahira Asmal, and architect David Adjaye.

“The Africa Architecture Awards are very critical,” said Adjaye. “Now is the time to promote excellence and best practice on the continent. The Africa Architecture Awards are particularly important because this is the moment that a lot is happening on the continent in terms of development, in terms of the architecture that’s being produced.”

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Have you ever spent hours calibrating the nozzle of a 3D printer or preparing a print-ready file – only to find that the model has failed because of a missed zero-thickness wall? With this in mind, the Platonics Ark—a 3D printer currently being developed in Helsinki, Finland—has one simple goal: to remove all unnecessary set-up and technical processes by means of intelligent automation and, as a result, almost entirely eliminate the wasted time that architects and designers spend calibrating printers, or working up print-ready files.

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Designs by Helsinki-based practice AOR have been selected following an open competition for the extension of Tampere Art Museum, in Finland. The existing building which the museum currently occupies was formerly used as a granary, designed by C. L. Engel and completed in 1838. Most believe it to be the third oldest building in the country. AOR's winning proposal seeks to create "a landmark for the museum" by articulating the urban landscape between nearby Pyynikintori square and adjacent parkland, connecting to and with the existing gallery spaces.

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Bee Breeders announced the winners of the Adelaide Creative Community Hub competition, challenging designers to propose an innovative, vibrant public space for the city of Adelaide, Australia. Participants were required to design either a temporary pavilion or fixed landmark within the frequented public park. Competition submissions seemed to focus on one of three things: a flexible open program, half building/half landscape, or a temporary pavilion. Judges looked for a clear concept. Winning projects have the potential to do more than merely bring people together; they go a step further sparking innovation in creative communities.

Our readers in the southern hemisphere are getting ready to fire up their barbecue area for some warm weather fun.

For many, this space has converted into an important social space where family and friends get together to enjoy a meal. Due to its importance, architects include this enclosure as one of the fundamental parts of the functioning of the house.

Below we have compiled some of the best barbecue areas published in ArchDaily to inspire and tempt you, our readers.

The Burnham Prize 2017 is a competition hosted by the Chicago Architectural Club (CAC), this year the title was ‘Under the Dome,' requiring participants to rethinking the radial form that has been a part of architecture for centuries.

Participants were asked to develop a speculative proposal for the abandoned St Stephen’s Church on its centennial anniversary, challenged with the task of injecting energy and life back into the desolated ruin. In reaction to the Chicago Architecture Biennale, the historical and typological construct of the dome was to be taken and reconsidered as a contemporary structure with an understanding of the historical context.

In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, creative production studio 59 Productions has put on a 4-day projection mapping light show, transforming the museum’s iconic shimmering surfaces into a canvas for a dazzling light display.

From October 11-14th, the 20-minute-long multisensory production Reflections combined music, light and projection, creating a show on the building’s north-facing titanium facades that told the story of the museum’s genesis and design.

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