This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Despite its dazzling collection of masterpieces, London’s National Gallery has been cursed with a series of ill-advised architectural schemes over its two-century existence. Only once have its leaders made a truly inspired and visionary choice: in the mid-1980s, the gallery held a competition, won by Venturi, Rauch and Scott Brown (VRSB) of Philadelphia, to build a special collections building.

The addition was constructed from 1988 to 1991, using funds donated by the Sainsbury family as a gift to the nation and was immediately hailed as one of the finest buildings of its type erected in the 20th century. It has remained popular with Londoners and has served well as an expansion of William Wilkins’s undistinguished classical building ever since. Experts on the work of Robert Venturi, John Rauch, and Denise Scott Brown consider it one of their masterpieces. Apparently, the National Gallery has a different opinion.

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The new NOA outdoor living centre in Belgium offers boundless inspiration for the realisation of creative outdoor concepts, thanks to the collaboration of 24 high-end outdoor-living brands. Watch the video to find out more.

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This September 21-24, New Generations will have the privilege to host the 10th edition of the New Generations Festival at the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome. Titled “New Urban Challenges”, the Festival will see the participation of more than 30 international guests, through a series of public lectures, exhibitions, online events, and satellite activities.

RIAS Consultancy – the competitions and procurement arm of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland – has launched a design competition to find an architecture team for a major new cultural building with a focus on mental health and well-being. The ambitious £15 million project, organised on behalf of The Crichton Trust, will be one of the most significant cultural buildings in Scotland, transforming cultural provision in Dumfries and Galloway, while complementing the extraordinary range of facilities and organisations at The Crichton.

Economies of Joy: The Space for Web3

No city is like New York. As an amalgam of different cultures, it is one of the most diverse in the world. New York is also facing social and environmental challenges that range from the need for new housing and transportation demands, to rising sea levels and storm surges. As the global pandemic further underlined the importance of design in shaping public life, city officials and planners are looking at a range of approaches and models for urban development and renewed growth.

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