Tag: zaha-hadid-architects | ArchDaily

Go East: What Tirana's Bread & Heart Festival Reveals About Architecture and Landscape

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Something has been happening in Tirana that the architectural world has not quite found the language for. In the space of a few years, a city of less than a million people in one of Europe's least-known countries has become the site of an extraordinary concentration of architectural ambition — a place where offices that rarely work in the same city, let alone the same decade, are building simultaneously, and where the questions that preoccupy contemporary architecture seem to arrive with an unusual urgency.

ZHA's Songshan Lake Exhibition and Performance Center Opens in Dongguanm, China

Antonia Piñeiro — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 05:30:00 +0000

The Songshan Lake Exhibition and Performance Center, designed by ZHA in collaboration with the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, is a new cultural and sports facility in Dongguan City, China. It's located in the city's High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, a technological innovation and science city established in 2001 as a hub for research, development, and high-tech manufacturing. Covering a total floor area of 45,000 square metres, the new cultural centre was designed to be a civic and cultural anchor for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The construction of the riverside building started in 2021, and the complex was officially opened on March 30, 2026.

Baku Architecture City Guide: 15 Projects Reframing Azerbaijan’s Capital

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Tue, 05 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Some cities grow through continuity, others construct themselves through moments of acceleration. Baku, in Azerbaijan, seems to operate somewhere in between. Its historic core, the Icherisheher, still holds a spatial logic that resists expansion: dense, enclosed, defined by proximity and repetition. But just beyond its walls, the city begins to shift. Scale increases, distances expand, and the relationship between buildings becomes less about continuity and more about visibility.

From Lighting to Modular Systems: ArchDaily’s Selection of 13 Architect-Designed Objects at Milan Design Week 2026

Reyyan Dogan — Mon, 04 May 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Each spring, Milan Design Week 2026 transforms the city into a distributed platform for design culture, where prototypes, product launches, and research-driven explorations coexist across multiple scales, including a growing presence of architect-designed objects. Held from April 20 to 26, the 2026 edition once again centered around the 64th Salone del Mobile.Milano at Fiera Milano, complemented by a network of independent venues and exhibitions throughout the city, an expanded landscape that is further reflected in ArchDaily's accompanying selection of installations and exhibitions from this year's program.

Art Nouveau Revisited: Craft, Materiality, and Detail in Contemporary Hospitality Spaces

Hana Abdel — Fri, 01 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000

At the turn of the 20th century, parallel, yet connected movements around the world ushered in a new style and architectural era. From the Arts and Crafts in England, Art Nouveau, then Art Deco in France, or the Jugendstil in Germany/Austria, these design and artistic developments spread around the world and took on different forms depending on their context. The basis remained similar, though, with a focus on artisanal value and craftsmanship; the use of wood, glass, and various metals; the integration of organic forms into the exterior facade and interior structure; and the refined incorporation of ornamentation as an architectural element, often as vegetation or geometric patterns.

Why do we want to float? The psychology of lightness in architecture

Camilla Ghisleni — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000

In 1962, architect Buckminster Fuller imagined a floating city that would free humanity from its dependence on Earth. The hypothetical project consisted of massive airborne geodesic spheres that would naturally levitate on warm, sun-heated air and be anchored to mountaintops. Designed to house thousands of people, Fuller's Cloud Nine aimed to ease land ownership politics and housing shortages while helping preserve nature.

Zaha Hadid Architects’ International Gateway Centre in West Kowloon Hong Kong Nears Completion, Captured by Paul Clemence

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Photographer Paul Clemence documented the International Gateway Centre (IGC) in West Kowloon, a mixed-use development by Zaha Hadid Architects in Hong Kong, as it approaches completion. The photo series captures the project at a stage where its overall massing, facade systems, and spatial organization are largely realized, while final works continue across public and interior areas. Clemence's close-range views highlight the vertical shading pleats, the curvature of the glazed envelope, and the transitions between structural and environmental elements, underscoring how the building's formal language is resolved through construction.

Zaha Hadid’s Legacy and Büro Ole Scheeren’s Róng Museum: This Week’s Review

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 06:30:00 +0000

As architectural discourse continues to expand across cultural, educational, and civic domains, this week's developments highlight how the discipline operates simultaneously through legacy, knowledge production, and large-scale public engagement. From reflections on influential figures and their enduring impact to evolving academic landscapes and new forms of cultural infrastructure, architecture is positioned as both a repository of ideas and an active agent in shaping contemporary identities. At the same time, projects spanning entertainment, museums, and waterfront developments point to a growing emphasis on hybrid programs and experiential environments, where architecture mediates between culture, public life, and global audiences.

Milan Architecture City Guide: 43 Projects from Historic Landmarks to Contemporary Designs

Hana Abdel — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Milan, a global hub of fashion and finance, increasingly asserts itself as a leading center for architecture and design. Its status as Italy's second-largest city underpins its vibrant cultural scene, attracting both established and emerging creative talent. Additionally, Milan is home to esteemed educational institutions recognized for their focus on heritage preservation and conservation. Its cultural and design significance is increasingly pronounced, as a growing number of creators are relocating to establish their presence in this vibrant creative hub.

From Deconstructivism to Barrier-Breaking Achievements: Zaha Hadid’s Legacy 10 Years After Her Passing

Antonia Piñeiro — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 05:30:00 +0000

Between June 23 and August 30, 1988, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York held an exhibition titled Deconstructivist Architecture, as part of a program "conceived to examine current developments in architecture." Curated by Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley, it focused on the contemporary work of seven international architects: Coop Himmelblau, Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Bernard Tschumi, and a young Zaha M. Hadid. At 37 years old, her work was presented to the world as an example of "the emergence of a new sensibility in architecture." The material on display was not a model or a blueprint, but a painting, The Peak, submitted for an architectural competition in Hong Kong in 1983. From this starting point, her contribution to architecture deepened along the same lines recognized at the time of her inclusion in the exhibition: the development of a distinctive, mathematical, and, in her own words, "fluid" architectural language, and her emergence as a leading female figure in a field historically dominated by men.

Making Infrastructure Visible: When Systems Become Architecture

Daniela Andino — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

For centuries, large-scale infrastructure operated in the background. Ports, power plants, and energy facilities were positioned at the edges of cities, designed primarily for efficiency, and rarely considered part of civic life. Their function was indispensable, yet their architectural presence remained secondary. These structures supported urban growth and global exchange while maintaining a spatial distance from everyday urban experience.

Rotterdam’s Sustainability Landmark and Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic Stadium: This Week’s Review

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Architecture this week reflects the intersections of legacy, authorship, and social responsibility, as practices navigate questions of identity, recognition, and public engagement. Legal rulings, major competition shortlists, and large-scale urban proposals illustrate how architecture continues to operate across cultural, institutional, and environmental arenas. From sustainability-driven landmarks and transformative waterfront developments to iconic commercial towers, projects demonstrate approaches to ecological strategies and public programming. At the same time, global observances such as World Hearing Day highlight how spatial design shapes inclusion and accessibility, reminding the profession that the built environment can influence participation, learning, and well-being for diverse communities.

London’s Brutalist Heritage and Australia’s New City: This Week’s Review

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:30:00 +0000

This week's news brings together developments in professional recognition, cultural programming, and large-scale urban strategy, reflecting the multiple scales at which architecture shapes contemporary discourse. As the field anticipates the next Pritzker Architecture Prize announcement, conversations around authorship, civic responsibility, and long-term impact unfold alongside the American Institute of Architects' 2026 Honorary Fellowship appointments, situating individual achievement within broader institutional frameworks. At the same time, updates from Riyadh to London foreground the role of architecture in both enabling new cultural platforms and safeguarding post-war heritage. Complementing these narratives, the reassignment of the 2029 Asian Winter Games and progress on expansive public landscapes highlight how cities are aligning infrastructure delivery, environmental resilience, and territorial planning with long-term economic and social agendas.

Heritage Transformations, New Capital Cities, and Residential Innovations: This Week’s Review

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 06:30:00 +0000

This week's news landscape brought together diverse approaches to built and cultural heritage, ranging from the design of a Museum of Jesus' Baptism at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Jordan to major transformations of modern industrial sites and the development of major cultural districts. The World Monuments Fund's support for 21 locally led heritage projects foregrounds conservation strategies that reinforce the role of architecture in safeguarding both material and intangible heritage. Across this week's highlighted projects, adaptive reuse, landscape integration, and the reconfiguration of civic space emerge as recurrent strategies for extending the life and relevance of existing built environments. The projects also reflect broader contemporary concerns, including material research in timber construction, zero-waste urban installations, large-scale residential efficiency, and infrastructure upgrades linked to global events like the Olympic Games. Framing these developments within a wider territorial perspective, discussions on relocating capital cities worldwide offer an example of how geopolitical discourses continue to shape architecture, revealing the evolving relationship between the built environment and structures of power over time.

Zaha Hadid Architects Designs Cultural District Along the Qiantang Bay Central Water Axis in Hangzhou, China

Antonia Piñeiro — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Zaha Hadid Architects has released images of its design for the redevelopment of the waterfront along the Zhedong Canal in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan District, China. The Qiantang Bay Central Water Axis project envisions a sequence of landscaped parklands, terraces, and gardens along the canal basin, proposing the transformation of former industrial areas into a green corridor extending toward the city center. The proposal adds to other recent design initiatives in the area, including Snøhetta's Qiantang Bay Art Museum, planned at the confluence of the Qiantang River and the Central Water Axis, as well as Zaha Hadid Architects' Grand Canal Gateway Bridge, a pedestrian bridge intended to connect the firm's 800,000-square-meter Seamless City masterplan on the east and west banks of the Grand Canal.

Riyadh Architecture City Guide: 16 Projects from Heritage to Urban Expansion

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:30:00 +0000

Once a Najdi settlement defined by mudbrick walls and courtyard houses, Riyadh has undergone one of the most radical urban transformations of the 20th and 21st centuries. The discovery of oil reserves, the consolidation of political power, and the rapid expansion of infrastructure reshaped the city from a regional capital into a sprawling metropolis almost within a single generation. As a result, Riyadh's urban fabric is marked by discontinuities, fragments of vernacular architecture coexist with mid-century institutional modernism, and a rapidly evolving contemporary skyline.

Zaha Hadid Architects Breaks Ground on Bishoftu International Airport for Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Construction has begun on the new Bishoftu International Airport (BIA), designed by Zaha Hadid Architects for Ethiopian Airlines Group. Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali, laid the cornerstone at the airport's groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, January 10, 2026. The new airport will be located approximately 40 kilometers south of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and is planned to become Africa's largest airport. Phase One of the project is designed to serve 60 million passengers per year. Subsequent phases are expected to increase capacity to up to 110 million passengers annually, supported by four runways and parking for 270 aircraft, more than four times the capacity of Ethiopia's current main airport, according to statements by the Prime Minister.

Pedestrianisation Initiatives and UNStudio’s Central Yards Theatre in Hong Kong: This Week’s Review

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Across different geographies and scales, this week's architecture news reflects a sustained focus on how cities and buildings are being recalibrated in response to evolving patterns of movement, work, and collective life. Across multiple contexts, public space and mobility remain central concerns, with streets, downtowns, and large-scale developments serving as testing grounds for new approaches to accessibility, resilience, and everyday use. Pedestrianisation initiatives and community-led visions point to evolving governance models and long-term urban strategies, while cultural and research-driven platforms continue to frame these changes within broader public discourse. In parallel, progress on major mixed-use and corporate projects underscores the growing integration of digital infrastructure, environmental performance, and flexible spatial frameworks within contemporary architecture.