Big cities and the troubled routine of urban life increasingly reveal the need for moments of relaxation aimed at physical and mental health. This concern has become more evident after the long quarantine periods of the Covid-19 pandemic, when disconnecting from routine became even more difficult. Thus, in recent years, more and more people have been looking for activities and places that provide this rest.

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The 2022 winter stations competition revealed its 3 winning projects, selected from worldwide submissions alongside three student designs from Ryerson University, University of Toronto, and the University of Guelph. Back for its eighth edition, after a one-year hiatus, the competition, launched by RAW Design, Ferris + Associates, and Curio in 2015, will once again “draw people outside to enjoy the Beach in the winter” and the projects will take over the lifeguard stations at Toronto’s Woodbine Beach.

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For more than a century, a street market known as ‘The Blue’ was the beating heart of Bermondsey in Southeast London. On Saturdays gone by, hundreds flocked to the historic neighborhood, a site with roots reaching back to the 11th century when it was once a pilgrimage route to Bermondsey Abbey. Market punters used to sample goods from more than 200 stalls that famously sold everything under the sun. “You can buy anything down The Blue” was the phrase everyone went by.

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As part of the cultural programming for Mexico City's Art Week, PEANA presents the exhibition Por debajo del árbol at Agustín Hernández's Architecture Studio, which opens its doors to the public for the very first time. The show brings together contemporary works by fifteen artists in dialogue with Agustín Hernández's creative universe. Curated by Ana Pérez Escoto and Carlota Pérez-Jofre, the exhibition will run from February 10 to March 4.

The Open International Competition for the Development of an Architectural Concept for the Galiasgar Kamal Tatarian State Academic Theatre has announced its results. The consortium including Kengo Kuma & Associates was granted the first place, while the second place went to a proposal led by Asif Kahn Studio and the third place to Coop Himmelb(l)au and his team.

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Graduating with an architecture degree is often met with the expectations of working a 9-5 job at an office. However, the reality is that many fresh graduates are venturing into diversified careers and exploring fields such as architectural photography, writing, rendering, set design, and project management. In this Editor's Talk, ArchDaily's Founder and Editor in Chief, Director of Software Product Development, Managing Editors, and Social Media Editor share their experiences of graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture then finding themselves exploring different, yet very complimentary career paths post graduation, proving that there is a lot more to the architecture practice beyond designing built spaces.

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Dr Steffi Burkhart knows millennials. She knows, or at least has a very informed, deeply researched opinion, on how they want to live and how they want to work. And given that millennials – commonly accepted as those born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s – will soon dominate the workforce, understanding their professional and personal needs and aspirations is very useful information. This is vital for companies, cities and countries that want to attract and usefully employ the best millennial talent.

As part of the Desert X international contemporary art exhibition, the second edition of the Desert X AlUla features 15 contextual installations across the Saudi Arabian desert that explore "ideas of mirage and oasis". This year's exhibition is curated by Reem Fadda, Raneem Farsi, and Neville Wakefield, under the theme of Sarab (arabic for 'Mirage'), and invites artists to address the history and culture of the desert, its contemporary significance, and the dichotomy between the natural and man-made world.

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Construction began at the Goethe Institute in Dakar, designed by Kéré Architecture. The project is the first purpose-built space for the German cultural association and exchange centre in its over 60 years of global activity. Located within a residential area and a lush garden, the two-storey structure is shaped by the canopy of trees on-site and is being built using bricks made of laterite, a residual local rock with insulating qualities that help to passively regulate the indoor climate. The project will provide spaces for a wide array of activities, ranging from exhibitions and language courses to concerts and gatherings, all while building on the cultural landscape of Senegal.

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An architectural project conceived from the neoliberal system can only be hostile. That's what Father Júlio Lancellotti, an active figure in actions to support homeless people in São Paulo, says. His work at the head of Pastoral do Povo da Rua has deservedly received the attention of national and international media, as well as being frequently published on his own social networks, drawing the attention of the public and authorities to urgent issues of inequality, invisibility of the most vulnerable and the hostility of our architecture and public spaces.

The demands and expectations of the workplace have shifted dramatically over the last two years. The mission statement of the office is being re-drafted and its role and function re-defined. Mark Barrell, Design Director at global furniture manufacturer Boss Design, argues that the advance of hybrid or blended work – and 80 per cent of Boss’ clients have adopted that model – means that offices must become 'destination spaces', or rather a series of different destination spaces.

Could a space be one and many at the same time? Under the name Minimum Common Multiple, Estudio BNAA has designed a space of minimal footprints—typically used for commercial premises or offices—with the unique feature of being able to transform into multiple spaces simultaneously. Located in San Luis, Argentina, the project references the mathematical concept of the least common multiple (LCM) but from a different approach and function, combining movement, flexibility, and the use of magnetism as a construction system.

When designing a residential interior, it is common to overlook the importance of the floor. Often, priority is given to the walls, furniture, and lighting, overlooking how this large surface—with its texture and appearance—can define a room's perception, character, and style. Yet, beyond its aesthetic value, durability is essential: while furniture and decor can be changed frequently, the flooring must remain in good condition for years. This is especially true for the kitchen, which is one of the areas of the home that experiences the highest use, traffic, and wear and tear.

Massimo Paolini shares the following article, originally published in El Salto, presenting new reflections on urban mobility and the future of cities.

It is difficult to measure, observing a completed building, the amount of work, resources and knowledge that were deposited there. All decisions made influence in some way the performance of the building and its durability. As for the execution details, not all architects allow the dissemination of their constructive solutions. There are professionals, however, who go against the grain and focus on disseminating knowledge, identifying common design decisions that can lead to pathologies (such as leaks, rot, corrosion, mold and odors) and more economical ways to avoid them. This is the idea behind Building Science Fight Club, an Instagram profile whose purpose is to explain some issues and critically analyze certain constructive details and ways of installing materials. We spoke with Christine Williamson, creator of the platform, about her journey. See the full interview below:

Real-time visualization is used to generate renderings with excellent visual quality from a BIM or CAD model. When integrated into your design workflow, it can also facilitate collaboration and allows all parties within an architectural project to engage throughout the design process.

Here are five ways in which integrating real-time visualization can provide a complete understanding of design at various project stages. 

Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp Architects) have won the design competition for global smartphone producers Xiaomi's headquarters in Changping Future Science City in Beijing. Titled “Mi Cube”, the project reflects the company's philosophy of “Smart Technology, Minimalist Design” through an architecture that combines a geometric and structured facade with a multifaceted and dynamic interior sequence of spaces.

OPEN recently revealed the design of Sun Tower, a new landmark structure for the Chinese coastal city of Yantai. The project echoes the area's characteristic Ming dynasty watchtowers and proposes a cultural facility that re-establish the visitor's connection with nature. Comprising a semi-outdoor theatre, an exhibition space, a library and an observation deck at the top referred to as the "phenomena space", the structure is intended as a place "of reflection and contemplation".

The side setbacks configure the distance that must be between the building and the side boundary of the land. Master plans, building codes or zoning laws determine the minimum clearance that must be observed to ensure that the building takes advantage of better aeration, sunlight and permeability. Although this feature brings several qualities to the built environment, many people do not know how to take advantage of the space given by the setback and, often, it becomes just a passageway.

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Seeking a more noble purpose for its Municipal Market, the municipality of Ponta Grossa, Paraná, launched a national design competition in September 2021. The site, previously filled with debris and hoarding, will be redeveloped to accommodate 180 commercial stalls, a food court, and parking. Last December, the jury announced Austral Studio, a Curitiba-based office led by architect Henrique Wosiack Zulian, as the competition winner.

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As the discourse about the way we work continues past the original pandemic concern and past the hybrid, remote, or what was once called traditional office space; employers and employees alike are still revisiting mental comfort requirements of a post-pandemic worker. While there are many types of work environments and worker needs that have to be addressed separately (besides the white-collar or knowledge worker), from a design and policies front; one particular, newborn model has been popping up in recent years, thus far seen through some unique, smallscale yet norm challenging Japanese offices. 

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The Museo ICO in Madrid presents “Anna Heringer. Essential Beauty.” From February 9 to May 8, it will host the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the German architect in Spain. Curated by Luis Fernández-Galiano, the show is organized by the Fundación ICO.

A little less than two years after the onset of a global pandemic, inclusion in the architecture profession is unfortunately still a limited conversation. A 2020 survey by the UK’s Architects' Journal revealed a sobering amount of obstacles for Black architects in the UK, and in the United States, prominent Black practitioners such as Mabel O. Wilson of Studio & have questioned the Eurocentric nature of a large amount of architectural study.

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Videos

Disney, the multinational entertainment and media conglomerate announced its new addition to its Signature Experiences Program. Titled "Cotino", part of its new Storyliving by Disney venture, the master plan is Disney's first master-planned community project, and will feature distinctly-designed housing units and neighborhoods, along with commercial and civic amenities and man-made beaches in the heart of Rancho Mirage, California's Coachella Valley.

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