Tag: urban-space | ArchDaily

When Sculpture Becomes Discourse: Reflections on Mujassam Watan

Rene Submissions — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 01:30:00 +0000

In the city, aesthetics are not measured by the height of towers or the width of roads, but by their ability to evoke meaning within space. From this perspective, the Mujassam Watan initiative emerges as more than a mere artistic endeavor. It involves a deliberate attempt to redefine the relationship between people and place, between material memory and imagined identity. In the city of Khobar, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—where urban modernity intersects with rapid social transformation—this initiative raises the question: How can a sculpture become an open text, one that is both visually read and experientially felt?

Building at the Edge: New York and Hong Kong’s Competing Waterfront Logics

Jonathan Yeung — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 08:30:00 +0000

Coastal development in major cities has long been a terrain of opportunity and contention—shaped at once by the pursuit of capital (premium views, scarce land, and the promise of reclamation), by civic demands for public access and collective waterfront life, and by contemporary aspirations for sustainability and place-defining urban identity. Precisely because these agendas rarely align, extracting the full potential of waterfront sites is never straightforward.

European Prize for Urban Public Space 2026

Rene Submissions — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 09:05:00 +0000

The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) announces the 13th edition of the European Prize for Urban Public Space. Since 2000, this biennial honorary competition recognizes the best interventions to create, transform and recover public spaces in European cities. For the first time, in this edition the time limit for works submitted is extended to 5 years (completed between the months of January 2021 and December 2025). The call for entries will be open for two and a half months, from 10 December to 26 February.

The European Prize for Urban Public Space is the only one in Europe devoted
exclusively

The Brazilian Pavilion Examines the Amazon’s Ancestral Infrastructures at the 2025 Venice Biennale

Nour Fakharany — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 05:30:00 +0000

The Brazilian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, open since May 10, 2025, is curated by Plano Coletivo, a group formed by architects Luciana Saboia, Eder Alencar, and Matheus Seco. Titled "(RE)INVENTION," the exhibition represents Brazil through a multidisciplinary approach that connects architecture, nature, and social infrastructure. Presented at the Giardini pavilion, the project is organized by the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo in collaboration with Brazil's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The exhibition reflects on the recent archaeological discovery of ancestral infrastructure in the Amazon to examine the socio-environmental contradictions of contemporary cities. It invites visitors to learn from ancestral knowledge and explore the interdependence between humans, land, and nature as a foundation for more sustainable futures.

The City as a Laboratory of Processes: A Decade of Urban Experimentation with Concéntrico

Jonathan Yeung — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 07:30:00 +0000

As cities continue to develop, we are seeing ever more well-planned, thoroughly executed, and tightly regulated approaches to shaping urban centres and their surrounding spaces—for better and for worse. As codes, restrictions, and guidelines improve and tighten, urban environments become safer, more balanced, and less prone to surprise. Yet the flip side is that highly managed districts can drift toward over-order and sanitisation, shedding the messy, accretive character that once produced alleyways, residual spaces, and unexpected sequences of movement—conditions often born from ongoing community improvisation in the grey zones of regulation.

Bridging the Gap: 15 Atypical Living Solutions in Urban Remnants

Hadir Al Koshta — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Public Pools as Public Spaces: The Role of Swimming and Bathing in Cities

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 04:00:00 +0000

When one thinks of public spaces, the image of a pool rarely comes to mind. Public spaces are the center of civic life, places where most interactions, activities, and behaviors follow strict social and cultural norms to ensure the safety and comfort of all users. In contrast, swimming and bathing represent something more intimate and primordial, a sensorial experience distinct from any other. In addition to the health benefits, the act of floating in space creates a break from everyday life and its constraints.

Pavilions in Urban Spaces: On the Experimentation, Recycling, and Reuse of Materials

Agustina Iñiguez — Thu, 15 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

How do pavilions emerge in architecture? What role do they play in urban spaces? Beyond the multiple interpretations that exist around the world, the pavilion, as an architectural principle and typology, tends toward extroversion, often associated with a centrifugal nature and visual openness toward the horizon, which is linked to its origins as a tent offering shelter from the elements. Pavilions are usually identified as isolated and independent structures that can promote lateral openings in the urban space, panoramic or introspective views, technological reflections, and material experiments that are recognizable from the outside or once inside.

Earthquake in Istanbul Raises Questions About the City's Seismic Preparedness

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 06:30:00 +0000

On April 23, 2025, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in the Sea of Marmara struck Türkiye's largest city, Istanbul, causing widespread panic and injuring over 230 people, primarily due to falls and panic-induced accidents. Over the course of the day, at least 272 aftershocks were recorded, with the strongest reaching a magnitude of 5.9. According to an initial statement by Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya, there was no major destruction apart from the collapse of a single abandoned building. However, the event has reignited public and professional discourse around the city's preparedness for a much larger seismic event, long anticipated by experts monitoring the North Anatolian Fault.

Henning Larsen Launches Urban Initiative to Rethink Public Spaces for Teenage Girls in Esbjerg, Denmark

Nour Fakharany — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Henning Larsen has just launched a new initiative in Esbjerg, Denmark, aimed at rethinking urban spaces through the perspectives of teenage girls. Developed in collaboration with Esbjerg Municipality, Ramboll, Catapult Projects, and KOMPAN, the project builds on research from the Urban Minded framework to explore how co-creation can shape more inclusive public environments. Supported by a 2.3 million DKK grant from the Villum Foundation and 485,000 DKK from the Ramboll Foundation, the initiative seeks to address an often-overlooked demographic in urban planning. As cities continue to evolve, conversations around gender-inclusive urban spaces have gained momentum, particularly in light of International Women's Day.

Lessons from Roberto Burle Marx: Designing Resilient and Evolving Urban Landscapes

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Roberto Burle Marx is often celebrated as a pioneering figure in landscape architecture, particularly for his innovative approach to integrating nature within urban environments. His work, characterized by a deep respect for native flora and a commitment to ecological balance, offers valuable lessons for contemporary landscape architects. At a time when climate change and biodiversity loss are pressing global concerns, revisiting Burle Marx's principles provides insight into creating urban spaces that are not only functional and aesthetically pleasing but also resilient and sustainable.

Urban Spaces for an Overheated Planet: 12 Projects that tackle this Global Challenge

Camilla Ghisleni — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Due to climate change, heat waves are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, and they present a critical challenge for the design of urban spaces. Elevated temperatures exacerbate public health issues, increase energy consumption, and diminish cities' overall quality of life. Urban design must adopt strategies that promote resilience to mitigate these effects rather than merely replicating traditional formats that do not address the thermal stress experienced by many.

A Serene Spa in the South of France and a Music Theater Expansion in Norway: 10 Unbuilt Projects by Established Firms

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 16 May 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Delving into the realm of unbuilt architectural projects by renowned offices offers a peak into the design principles and ethos of the studios. The curated list of unbuilt projects submitted by established architecture practices has the potential to reveal new perspectives on the socio-cultural and environmental factors shaping contemporary architecture. These designs often respond to complex challenges such as sustainability, urbanization, and cultural preservation, reflecting architects' efforts to navigate and contribute meaningfully to the built environment.

Earth Day 2024: Urban and Architectural Strategies to Navigate the Climate Crisis

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Every year, Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, presents us with an opportunity to contemplate the conditions of our planet and our impact upon it. Generating around 37% of global carbon emissions, the construction industry has an important, often detrimental, role to play, thus placing an increasingly urgent responsibility on architects and builders to devise strategies for reducing this number. Still, the built environment represents the habitat for most of humanity, and so it has the potential to protect and shelter people from the risks posed by the changing climate. Read on to discover a collection of articles delving into the strategies available at urban and architectural scales for mitigating the effects of climate change and minimizing the industry’s impact upon it.

Rewilding in Architecture: Concepts, Applications, and Examples

Claire Brodka — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 04:00:00 +0000

In an age where humanity's detrimental impact on the environment has become increasingly evident, the concept of rewilding is emerging as a powerful approach to conservation and ecological restoration. In line with growing attention on landscape architecture in recent years, the idea of removing human intervention from our natural surroundings in order to restore a stable equilibrium seems to offer a low-effort, ethereal way to right fundamental climate wrongs. But is a lack of meddling in nature really all there is to rewilding, and how does this relate to architecture and design? We look at key concepts, applications, and examples to find out.

Estonian Pavilion at the Biennale Architettura 2021 Explores the Role of Urban Space in the Future of Small Towns

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 06:30:00 +0000

The Estonian Centre for Architecture is presenting the exhibition “Square! Positively shrinking” curated by Jiří Tintěra, Garri Raagmaa, Kalle Vellevoog, Martin Pedanik, and Paulina Pähn, in the Pavilion of Estonia at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Hosted in the Arsenale complex, the project will “explore the role of high-quality urban space in enhancing the future development of small towns that are in jeopardy of depopulation, […] sparking a debate on the lesser-known facet of urbanization”.

C.F. Møller Architects, Kristin Jarmund Architects and Rodeo Architects Propose Urban Realm in the Center of Oslo

Niall Patrick Walsh — Mon, 21 May 2018 12:00:00 +0000

C.F. Møller Architects have collaborated with Kristin Jarmund Architects and Rodeo Architects in the design of a new urban realm at Oslo Central Station in Norway, comprising a square, hotel, and high-rise building. The scheme seeks to create an attractive recreational area around the transport hub, connecting different areas and terrain differences in an organized, efficient flow.

Modular Installation Provides Temporary Housing For Refugees Beneath Paris Bridge

Evan Pavka — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 12:00:00 +0000

As hundreds of refugees continue to arrive in Paris, France, the city faces an ongoing struggle to find safe and suitable housing for the influx of migrants. As a result, many end up sleeping in underused urban spaces or on the side of the road with almost no access to water, sanitation, and food.