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Listed buildings are important architectural testaments to a society's rich and diverse history. Formally recognizing these buildings protects their significant architectural elements from alterations and demolitions while creating socio-economic avenues to aid their conservation. However, these buildings also run at risk of being alienated from new materials and modern building systems that allow them to function optimally today.

Integrating new materials and building services without interfering with the building’s original character is a unique design challenge. Whether adding new materials during structural renovations or integrating modern fire protection systems, there is a need for sensitivity and balance. This applies to various elements of listed buildings, including walls, floors, roofing, and façades, ensuring they are future-proofed for an extended lifespan.

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Videos

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Reading a book is commonly seen as an individual activity, yet libraries have evolved to offer more than just book-lending services in the digital age. Public libraries have transformed into contemporary community centers, offering various social engagement opportunities while utilizing minimal urban space. Emphasizing the importance of building a sense of community, these institutions prioritize connecting individuals with common interests.

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Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) has announced an expansive project to redevelop and refurbish the Foster + Partners designed 8 Canada Square building, also known as HSBC Tower, in Canary Wharf, London. Following an international competition, the remodeling plans include removing large parts of the 42-story building to introduce terraces and additional functions. According to Canary Wharf Group and the Qatar Investment Authority, this represents the largest transformation of an office tower into a sustainable mixed-use building. The project is set to begin in 2027, after the expiry of the HSBC lease.

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M+ Museum in Hong Kong has unveiled the first full-scale retrospective of the renowned Chinese-American architect leoh Ming Pei (1917-2019), widely known as I. M. Pei. Located in the West Kowloon Cultural District at Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, the exhibition will be open to the public from June 29, 2024 - January 5, 2025. “I. M. Pei: Life is Architecture” showcases Pei’s career, spanning seven decades across the globe.

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In 1900, Paris hosted its first Olympic games. It had been the second city to host them after the first Olympics in Athens. It was also the year of the Exposition Universelle, where the city would again showcase how it remade itself anew in less than 30 years. To this day, Paris remains a hub for all sorts of architectural innovation and development through bold designs that affect how people live and new materials and techniques. It fascinatingly juxtaposes grandeur and monumentalism with its predominately baroque, “second empire,” and art nouveau works; while also pushing for designs that strive for social living reforms such as in Le Corbusier’s experimental works or Lacaton & Vassal’s considerate interventions.

It’s this openness to the world that attracts not only millions of visitors a year but also innovators and architects who have set up shop in Paris and made it their second home. Once again, the city reworks itself as mass construction, renovation, and restoration sites culminate all over the city to host international athletes at the 2024 Olympics.

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