To honor the work of one of the greatest modernists of the 20th century, Oscar Niemeyer, American-Brazilian photo artist Paul Clemence has released images of the architect’s iconic Itamaraty Palace. Housing Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters, the structure is also known as the Palace of the Arches.

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Jean Nouvel's recently completed towers, Tours Duo, redefined the Parisian skyline. Captured by Paul Clemence in his latest photo series, the project by Ateliers Jean Nouvel creates a singularity in relation to the rails that lead into the city's heart and define the Avenue de France. Established as a landmark on the East side of Paris and considered to be the city's future, Tours Duo is a mixed-use project that completes and modifies the unfinished context of this part of the city.

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Almost a century ago, the world was introduced to a new architectural typology that changed the entire construction industry. Starting off with the Home Insurance Building in 1885, leading to the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings in Manhattan, skyscrapers became a symbol of power and financial abundance. Soon enough, they were being constructed in almost every city across the world with state-of-the-art designs that defy engineering norms. But with all the changes taking place in the architecture practice, what does the future hold for these heavily criticized yet constantly developed buildings?

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Located amidst the vegetation, almost invisible to those who see it from the street, a jewel of modern Brazilian architecture is hidden in the São Paulo neighborhood of Jardim América. Casa Zalszupin, designed in 1960 by the Polish architect based in Brazil, Jorge Zalszupin, combines traces of local modernism with influences that the architect brought with him from Europe, notably Scandinavian architecture. In a recent photo series, Paul Clemence sought to capture through this house, "the architect's and designer's essence". 

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This article was originally published on Common Edge.

The new, online NYC Climate Dashboard confirms that New York City is not doing enough to meet its climate goals. What’s worse, the goals don’t measure up to the challenge citizens face. A growing consensus among scientists says the world has only until the end of this decade to avert catastrophic climate change. Here in New York, the biggest contributions to greenhouse gasses come from our buildings and our driving. As an architect and urban designer, John Massengale shares what he believes the world is missing and some significant changes that the world can make for the sake of future generations.

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In his latest photo series, Paul Clemence turns his lens towards the newest addition to Chicago’s famed skyline: the undulating shapes of St. Regis Tower, formerly known as Vista Tower. Designed by Studio Gang, the 101-story supertall skyscraper makes its mark as Chicago’s third tallest building. Despite its size, the volume appears slender due to the flowing rhythm that defines its three nested towers.

The tower aims to enhance rather than disrupt its surrounding urban fabric. Sitting between downtown Lakeshore East Park and the Chicago Riverwalk, the careful design of the lower levels allows for a porous connection between the two attractions. Innovative structural systems are implemented to achieve this by completely elevating the second volume from the ground.

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Paul Clemence’s capture of Zürich’s MFO Park is an evocative photo series for Archi-photo, demonstrating the juxtaposition between the metal shell of the man-made and the wild nature of the park itself. Vines intertwining themselves upon the skeleton of the structure create an attractive destination, replenishing the brownfield land and replacing it with a renewed and captivating image.

Zürich’s MFO park is a vibrant parkscape in Switzerland, previously a site used for around a century by the Oerlikon Machine Works (MFO). Saturated with construction debris and pollution during a long period of industrialization, it has been transformed into a green paradise with the nearby wooded Oerliker Park brimming with ash trees. Offering a diverse area of open space it is available to the public for a wide range of activities and events, with the presence of ‘Park House’, a large open hall, and trellis enveloped with climbing vegetation.

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This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Recently, the Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times about the causes of unaffordable housing in New York City. He blamed the crisis on a few things, including a powerful financial “monoculture” in the city, NIMBYs, and the city itself blocking new construction. That last element, however—that the city blocks new construction—is an increasingly popular myth that needs examination.

Miami’s long-awaited landmark, the Elysee Edgewater has finally reached construction completion. Designed by Arquitectonica, the 649-foot-tall glass tower features 57 storeys of luxury residences, as well as recreational and fitness amenities across its tiered floors. Architectural photographer Paul Clemence released images of the newly-completed tower, which now sits as the tallest residential building in the Edgewater district.

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Last year, a series of new museums, expansions and several museum renovations have opened their doors to the public, adding a new dimension to the cultural landscape around the world. From the long-awaited re-opening of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, to Ryue Nishizawa's Jining Art Museum merging with the landscape, and MVRDV's reflective Art Depot, discover the architecture of the latest venues of art and culture.

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"I'm interested in creating shapes that surprise people, that are bold," Ruy Ohtake used to say. With a career of over six decades and around 420 works built – almost three hundred only in São Paulo – Ohtake leaves a prolific and inspiring legacy to Brazilian architecture.

Besides São Paulo, his projects are spread over places as far away as Brasília, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio de Janeiro, states where he designed and built residences, transport equipment, headquarters of cultural institutions, hotels, banks, sports arenas and corporate towers. In many of these, it is possible to recognize the architect's resistance to leaning towards the straight line, one that offers no surprises, and the desire to thrill with its shapes and colors.

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Architectural photographer Paul Clemence has released a new photoseries of Riken Yamamoto's The Circle project, a mixed use development at the Zurich Airport. The design was a competition entry that asked architects to create a program that offers visitors: Swissness, Surprise, and Connections to the World. Yamamoto's winning design, with its inclined facade and combination of linear and curved outlines, linked the airport to the park physically and visually, creating an architecture that highlights the Swiss identity.

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Architectural photographer Paul Clemence has released a new photoseries of 30 E 31, a luxury apartment tower in Midtown Manhattan designed by Morris Adjmi Architects. Inspired by classic New York skyscrapers of the 1920s, the architects reimagined NoMad’s Neo-Gothic and Art Deco architecture and designed a structure with a "distinctive lattice crown" that blends two architectural eras with the city’s iconic skyline.

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Architectural photographer Paul Clemence has released a new photoseries of the newly-opened Kunsthaus Zürich Museum Extension designed by David Chipperfield Architects. The extension is a freestanding addition to the existing Kunsthaus museum, and houses a collection of classic modernist artwork, the Bührle collection, and temporary exhibitions. The architectural identity takes inspiration from traditional stone façades found on the existing Kunsthaus as well as other significant public buildings in the Swiss city, and combines tradition and innovation through slender vertical fins crafted from local Jurassic limestone.

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Paul Clemence has released a new series of images showcasing the incomplete construction of Diller Scofidio + Renfro's Copacabana Museum of Image and Sound (MIS). The project first took shape in 2014 but was completely suspended in 2016. Although the project has been untouched since then, a recent announcement by Governor Cláudio Castro promised the revival of construction works at the museum, with an expected public opening in early 2023.

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Paul Clemence has released a new series of images, showcasing the on-going construction works on Manhattan's Central Park Tower. The project is designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill architecture and is set to be the tallest residential building in the world once completed. The building, as seen in the photographs, has neared completion and is set to open later this year.

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Paul Clemence has released a new series of images, showcasing the on-going construction works on 111 West 57th, designed by SHoP. Located in New York, the residential tower is set to become the second-tallest building in the city by roof height, and the most slender tall building in the world, once completed.

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American-Brazilian photo-artist Paul Clemence has just released the first images of the completed renovation and expansion works of Martin Luther King’s Memorial Library, originally designed by Mies van der Rohe in Washington D.C. Hoping to create a modern library that focuses on people while celebrating the exchange of knowledge, ideas and culture, Dutch design practice Mecanoo was commissioned the modernization of the structure back in 2014.

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