Produce personalized presentation boards that distill complex concepts into simple visual representations with a few helpful tools and effects.

Windows have long held an ambivalent role in architecture, as they both define and enclose interiors while simultaneously creating a link to the outdoors. This dual function goes beyond simply meeting construction needs or providing daylight, directly influencing how occupants experience and engage with the views. The 20th century saw the introduction of materials such as steel, aluminum, and glass, which enabled different types of windows with thinner frames and expansive panes, enhancing transparency and reinforcing the visual connection with the surrounding setting.

American architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson explored these possibilities to harmonize architecture with landscape. In Fallingwater House, windows and terraces seamlessly connect the house to the waterfall and surrounding forest, whereas the Glass House's minimal framing nearly dissolves the boundary between interior and exterior, bringing the natural environment to life inside the house. Through its evolution, windows have become an element that unites space, materials, and perception, opening new pathways for exploring the relationship between architecture and its environment.

One challenge connects every office: noise. HushGuide is a new resource from Hushoffice that takes on this ubiquitous design problem headfirst with clarity and detail. It offers a roadmap for fine-tuning any workplace into a quieter, healthier, more productive space using acoustic pods and complementary furnishings, thoughtfully planned. From step-by-step advice to technical guidelines and visual layout strategies, the guide bridges vision with implementation, promising to help architects, designers, and facility managers bring acoustic balance to their own office ecosystems.

The first edition of the Copenhagen Architecture Biennial opened on September 18 and will run until October 19, under the theme "Slow Down." Organized by CAFx (Copenhagen Architecture Forum), the new platform evolves from the city's previous annual festival into a broader international biennial for architectural dialogue and exchange. Led by Josephine Michau, the event seeks to create space for reflection on architecture's role in shaping societies and the environment. The chosen theme, Slow Down, invites participants to reconsider the pace of transformation in the built environment in response to global pressures such as rapid urbanization, resource consumption, and climate change.

During the opening days, ArchDaily announced the 2025 Next Practices Awards, and throughout the month, the Biennial presents more than 250 events, ranging from exhibitions and talks to performances and guided tours. Highlights include contributions from Danish practices such as Adept with Fast City/Slow Architecture and Lendager with Living Lab, alongside international participants like Atelier Bow-Wow and Rem Koolhaas.

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Foster + Partners has received planning permission for a new timber residential building in Gstaad, Switzerland. Designed as a house in the Alpine resort town, the project combines residential use with exhibition, storage, and social spaces. According to the architects, it will be the first purpose-built facility in Gstaad to accommodate the specialised requirements of fine art, cars, fashion, and antique collections.

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The Centre Pompidou in Paris, designed in 1971 by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, is closing for a major transformation that will take five years. Following an international competition, the renovation has been entrusted to Moreau Kusunoki, in association with Frida Escobedo Studio, alongside AIA Life Designers for the technical components. Initiated in 2020 with the support of France's Ministry of Culture, the project addresses urgent needs, including the removal of asbestos from facades, improved fire safety, enhanced accessibility, and significant upgrades in energy efficiency. The works will require a full closure of the Beaubourg site, with a planned reopening in 2030.

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On June 24, 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo would host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The last Winter Games to take place in Italy were held in Turin in 2006, and since then, climate change in the European continent has impacted traditional skiing venues. In this context, Italy has the advantage of a portion of the Alps, a strip of about 1,200 km along the borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. The Italian Alpine region hosts most of the facilities that have been prepared over the past five years for the Winter Olympics, which will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026, followed by the Paralympic Games from March 6 to 15. Set to be the most geographically widespread Olympic Winter Games in history, this edition continues the sustainable model established by the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by relying almost entirely on existing and reconditioned sports infrastructure.

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Innovation is at the core of architecture, expressed through new approaches to design, material experimentation, and, of course, ways of living. As a result, the conception of buildings and indoor spaces is constantly evolving. This evolution is especially evident in regions with a rich cultural heritage, such as Spain, where innovation reinterprets traditional ways of relating to space. This attentiveness to memory and daily life extends into interiors, where each intervention has the potential to actively reshape how people experience a space and open new possibilities for living and interaction.

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The latest release of Offsitewood.org marks a significant step forward in making offsite wood construction more approachable for architects. Version 2.0 introduces a set of digital resources aimed at helping designers model, plan, and collaborate more efficiently.

Free downloadable libraries are a central and expanding feature of the site. Additionally, new applications and services are now available that include wood material e-sample viewers, an advanced panelization and framing toolbar for Revit, and a collaborative workspace for project optimization.

October will see the opening of Ibraaz, a new cultural space reimagined by Architect-in-Residence Sumayya Vally in central London. The initiative is led by the Kamel Lazaar Foundation and aims to highlight art, culture, and ideas from the Global Majority: communities of African, Asian, Indigenous, and Latin American heritage that together represent most of the world's population. The project seeks to bridge local and global conversations by creating a "world of many worlds" within a single venue: a six-floor, 10,000-square-foot building that has undergone multiple transformations, from synagogue to residence, club, and now cultural center.

As cities and infrastructures evolve to meet shifting cultural, environmental, and social demands, new architectural projects are redefining how public spaces and civic institutions operate. This edition of Architecture Now brings together proposals spanning different contexts and scales: on Yakushima Island, Jean Nouvel embeds a boutique retreat for NOT A HOTEL into a UNESCO-listed forest landscape; in New York City, Rossetti and WSP are preparing a major renovation of Arthur Ashe Stadium to expand capacity and enhance the visitor experience; in Toronto, Diamond Schmitt and gh3* have broken ground on a mass-timber, net-zero paramedic station; and across the English Channel, Hollaway Studio is leading a transformation of LeShuttle's UK and French terminals into more seamless and sustainable gateways. Together, these projects reflect how design is being used to adapt existing systems and landscapes to new forms of public life.

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Zaha Hadid Architects' design for a digitally fabricated marine habitat in the North Lantau Marine Park conservation zone in Hong Kong was recently presented at the World Design Congress exhibition in London. The event took place at the Barbican Centre between September 9 and 10, one of the world's most recognized examples of Brutalist architecture. Its theme, "Design for Planet," called on designers and commissioners of design to take on their most critical brief to date: to design a regenerative future in the face of climate change and to examine design's role as a tool for environmental action. In this context, Zaha Hadid Architects presented Nereid, a digitally fabricated habitat developed with advanced 3D printing technologies by D-Shape, aimed at supporting the natural regeneration of marine ecosystems.

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Among the seven winners of this year's 16th Aga Khan Award for Architecture was the Revitalisation of Historic Esna in southern Egypt. Led by the Cairo-based firm Takween, the project was far more than a simple restoration. It was a comprehensive renewal effort that combined deep community engagement with the preservation of both tangible and intangible heritage. By creating thousands of jobs and restoring the historic center, the initiative offered a powerful alternative to demolition. The Aga Khan Trust lauded it as a 'replicable model for sustainable development'.

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Videos

This year marks 20 years since the first VELUX Daylight Symposium—two decades of shared insights, ideas, and exploration into the role of daylight in our built environment. Since its humble beginnings in 2005, the symposium has grown into a leading international forum for cross-disciplinary dialogue on daylight.

The 10th edition, taking place in the heart of Copenhagen, will once again bring together researchers, architects, engineers, and policymakers to examine the evolving role of daylight in architecture and design. It's a space where science and practice meet to reflect on past learnings and look ahead to the future of daylight in our cities and spaces. Join the livestream on September 18th, 2025, from 09:00 to 17:30 (CEST).