Collective living continues to be a central theme in contemporary housing discourse, one that extends beyond questions of density or typology to engage broader concerns of land use, social cohesion, and spatial identity. This selection of conceptual unbuilt projects, submitted by the ArchDaily community, explores the potentials of shared living environments, not only as functional housing solutions but as frameworks for interaction, environmental integration, and cultural continuity. Whether in urban or remote settings, they reflect a growing interest in rethinking how domestic space can support both individual privacy and communal life.
Boise, United States. Image via Wikipedia user: Fæ. License under CC0 1.0. Image Author: Alden Skeie
From greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution to deforestation, one of the leading contributors to global warming today is emissions from the transportation sector. Exploring its origins and evolution, as well as the major challenges it faces, the development of electric mobility in urban environments represents a global transition that requires a coordinated mix of policies and actions to achieve cleaner and more sustainable transportation systems. Designing safe and comfortable infrastructure for walking and cycling, promoting public transit and shared mobility, and designing more efficient streets that include electric vehicles, among other actions, are part of a growing worldwide effort to reduce carbon emissions.
The Mid-Century Modernist movement was more than an aesthetic or material shift in the United States, as it was a response to a rapidly changing world. Emerging after World War II, this architectural revolution rejected ornate, traditional styles of the past in favor of clean lines, functional design, and incorporation of flashy materials like steel, glass, and concrete. Modernism was a break from tradition, focusing instead on simplicity, efficiency, and a vision for the future. It reflected the optimism of a nation rebuilding itself, where technology and innovation shaped everything from cityscapes to suburban homes.
As architecture navigates a rapidly changing world shaped by ecological urgency, social transformation, and technological acceleration, the notion of intelligence is shifting. No longer confined to individual cognition or artificial computation, intelligence can emerge from cultural memory, collective practices, and adaptive systems. In this broader sense, architecture becomes a field of convergence, where natural, artificial, and social intelligences intersect to offer new ways of designing and building.
Vernacular traditions embed generations of environmental knowledge, often transmitted through materials, construction techniques, and spatial logics finely tuned to local conditions; participatory platforms expand decision-making to wider communities to take part in shaping their environments, redistributing agency in the design process; and computational processes simulate and respond to complex data in real time bringing the capacity to analyse, simulate, and respond to complex variables — whether environmental, social, or behavioural — offering new forms of adaptability.
Through his unbuilt projects, built works, and research, Amancio Williams's ideas emerge as the result of a deep understanding of the most advanced trends of his time reflecting on architectural design, urbanism and city planning. By exploring various themes, concepts, and even materials, he aims to create a personal universe that interprets the present as something future-oriented, both international and distinctly Argentine. His proposal "La ciudad que necesita la humanidad" presents linear and layered buildings raised 30 meters above ground, incorporating everything from office spaces to roads and magnetic trains on different levels of a single structure. The Amancio Williams archive at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal documents Williams' career as an architect and designer from the 1940s to the late 1980s. The fonds documents his work for over 80 architectural, urban planning and design projects, as well as the administration of his architecture practice and his professional activities. Including drawings and sketches, presentation models, photographic materials, such as photographs of models, finished project (when realized), reference images, photographic reproduction of plans, and site photographs, the archive is available to consult offering more details.
Public spaces are more than just physical voids in the urban fabric—they are stages for social interaction, cultural expression, and collective memory. In times of social fragmentation and environmental stress, these spaces can serve as catalysts for healing, offering safe environments where communities can reconnect. Through thoughtful design and participatory processes, public space interventions can rebuild trust, promote mental well-being, and foster a renewed sense of belonging among community members.
Thomas Heatherwick has been appointed as the General Director and curator of the 2025 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. In its fifth edition, the Seoul Biennale serves as a platform for addressing urban challenges faced by major global cities, fostering innovative solutions and public discussions around architecture and urbanism. As Asia's largest architecture biennale, scheduled to take place from September 1 to October 31, 2025, the exhibition will focus on making cities more joyful, engaging, and radically human-centered. At the heart of this mission is an ambitious public engagement program that directly involves citizens in shaping the Biennale. Through an open call, ten multidisciplinary teams, comprising architects, urban planners, sculptors, community organizers, metalworkers, and textile designers, have been selected to collaborate with local communities. These projects will respond to two central questions: How do buildings make people feel? And how can they be transformed to foster a deeper sense of connection?
In early Mongolia, herders dismantle their yurt - a portable round tent made of felt or animal skin - in pursuit of new lands where they can raise their livestock. Not much further away is a digital nomad in Bali, preparing their next move into a co-living space in Ho Chi Minh City. Though separated by vast distances and cultural divides, these individuals are united by a timeless human desire - a quest mobility and adaptable living spaces. In light of geopolitical changes and emerging lifestyles, the demand for flexible residential architecture intensifies. In this era of increased mobility, is it enough for people alone to move, or will the buildings of tomorrow need to follow suit?
To this day, Cairo has a vibrant history, rich architectural culture, and heritage, which, from an outside perspective, is still the vivid and leading representation of the city. But what is today's Cairo beyond the capital of Egypt, the Nile, the deserts, the bustling streets, the museums, and the archaeological sites and historic buildings? The city has experienced a rapid urban transformation over the past few decades, acquiring a remarkably different character from the one recent and older generations remember from their youth in the streets, neighborhoods, and buildings of the city.
Cairo represents a population growth of 4 million in the 1960s to over 20 million today, while its urban footprint expanded by approximately 400% since the 1960s. The built-up area represents nearly half the metropolitan region, with an annual urban growth rate of 2-4% - much higher than the approximate 1% growth rate typical in countries like Canada, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Sweden. Due to this rapid urbanization, agricultural land now constitutes less than 10% of the total area of Greater Cairo. The city is a constantly evolving mosaic of over 50 distinct neighborhoods, each embodying its own unique identity and demographic composition, contributing to Cairo's diverse urban fabric.
https://www.archdaily.com/1022982/cairo-a-mosaic-of-contrasting-urban-narrativesHadir Al Koshta
About a decade ago, the term "resilience planning" became ubiquitous in climate circles. That shift, in the wake of increasingly unpredictable events, was shaped in part by the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities program, a six-year, $160 million effort to establish chief resilience officers in cities all over the world. Out of that program, which ended in 2019, emerged its successor, Resilient Cities Catalyst (RCC), a New York–based nonprofit engaged in what it calls "capacity building" projects. For Climate Week, I talked to Sam Carter, one of RCC's founding principals, about his definition of resilience, the organization's planning and philanthropic method, and the challenge of scaling up climate efforts.
Located in the Central Mountains of Honduras, Tegucigalpa stands as the country's largest city. Being home to approximately 1.5 million residents, it is also one of the biggest urban centers in Central America, with origins that date back to 1578 when it was founded by Spanish colonizers. It was declared the capital in 1880 and has since developed into the political, cultural, and economic heart of Honduras. This history has endowed the city with a diverse architectural heritage, showcasing styles from various periods and influences.
Styles that range from colonial Baroque, Neoclassical, and Art Deco to Modernism and Post-Modernism, reflect its dynamic history. It is also home to several museums that celebrate both traditional and contemporary Honduran arts, such as the Museum of National Identity (MIN) and the National Gallery of Art. Beyond its urban attractions, the city's surrounding mountains are home to the hiking trails of La Tigra National Park and several colonial silver mining towns, which make it a great city to visit while traveling through Central America.
"O beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, has there ever been another place on earth where so many people of wealth and power have paid for and put up with so much architecture they detested as within thy blessed borders today?"
Tom Wolfe wrote this in his 1981 book From Bauhaus to Our House. The conflict between modern and traditionaldesign has barely abated since, as is evident in this recent article. In the U.S., modern buildings are often met with community aversion, for familiar reasons: their perceived coldness and lack of contextual sensitivity, the impact on local character, and the loss of historical continuity. But on another level, the critique against modern design finds even more purchase on the larger scale: the city. Modern U.S. cities reek of traffic congestion and pollution, social inequality and gentrification, a loss of community and cultural spaces, and a lack of usable open space.
https://www.archdaily.com/1020898/contemporary-architecture-and-the-modern-cityGerhard W. Mayer
Copenhagen was founded around the 11th century, from a small fishing village called "Havn" (harbor), which served as a strategic point for trade and navigation. Over time, this settlement transformed into an industrial city and eventually became the capital of Denmark. Though small in size, Copenhagen exerts significant global influence as a model of urban living. Spread across two islands, it is recognized as one of the most livable cities in the world, compensating for its modest size with an imposing character, reflected in its vibrant urban life and a skyline punctuated by historic towers, low-rise buildings, and a mix of old and modern architecture.
Naturally, a higher population density prevents the formation of ghost towns and vacant shops, which can become hotbeds for crime. However, these positive views on dense living environments often rest on optimistic assumptions about urbanism, such as minimal friction among individuals, easily maintained hygiene and a natural formation of diversity.
The 15-minute city has become an internationally recognized concept advocating for a people-centric urban model where residents should be able to meet most of their daily needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from their homes. The concept was introduced by Professor Carlos Moreno in 2015 following the COP21 conference in Paris, which concluded with the signing of the Paris Agreement. The idea proposes a practical and adaptable framework for introducing low-carbon mobility and creating a vibrant local economy to support more social interaction and more sustainable urban environments. Since then, the concept has been recognized with the 2021 Obel Award and has gained a notable recommendation in UN-Habitat's World Cities Report. Now, Professor Moreno is publishing the book titled “The 15-Minute City: A Solution to Saving Our Time and Our Planet” to showcase concrete examples and strategies for achieving better cities. ArchDaily had a chance to sit down with Professor Carlos Moreno to discuss these ideas, offering insight into Moreno’s urban thinking and the impact of this model.
Ephemeral architectures, characterized by their temporary and flexible nature, have emerged as powerful tools for revitalizing urban spaces and fostering architectural creativity. These transient installations transform public areas, engaging communities, and prompting reflections on the potential futures of our cities. By temporarily transforming environments, ephemeral architectures encourage both architects and the public to reimagine the possibilities of urban living. This dynamic interplay, between the temporary and the permanent, challenges traditional architectural practices and opens up new avenues for sustainable and inclusive urban development.
In November of 2022, the coastal city of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, hosted the 27th convention of the United Nations Conference of the Parties, known as COP27. Since signing the Paris Agreement in 2015, the nearly annual conference has gained momentum as a global leader in sharing knowledge and developing frameworks to mitigate climate change worldwide. While the more recent COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, focused on conversations of energy production, this previous conference focused on urban contexts, as they deal with the urgent need for incorporating loss, damage, and climate reparations into climate action plans. As two years have now passed since COP27, it is important to revisit these discussions and hold governing bodies accountable for the promises made and the benchmarks set for climate change mitigation. One of the most ambitious plans from COP27 highlights an urgent debate in our urban environments: how will we define loss, damage, and climate reparations in the twenty-first century?
