Play represents a key opportunity for children to acquire skills and knowledge in a natural and engaging way. Among the key innovations in early childhood and primary education, play stands out as a central axis of the learning process, serving as a fundamental pedagogical principle to achieve educational goals. Combining play with outdoor learning fosters exploration, experimentation, sensory stimulation, and motor development during childhood.

Featuring diverse materials, designs, and dynamics, the playground equipment represented by Urbanplay fosters open, spontaneous interactions, providing children with spaces to take risks, explore, and connect with nature.

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Christopher Payne’s fascination with factories goes back decades. As an architecture student at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1990s, Payne had the good fortune to find a summer job with an agency inside the National Park Service called the Historic American Buildings Survey. “They sent teams of architecture students, historians, and photographers to document all kinds of projects,” he says. “We documented grain elevators in Buffalo, cast iron bridges in Ohio, a power plant in Alabama, and national parks in Utah. That experience instilled a deep appreciation for industrial architecture.” After graduation, he worked for several years as an architect in New York City before transitioning full-time to photography. His previous books include New York’s Forgotten Substations: The Power Behind the Subway; Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals; North Brother Island: The Last Unknown Place in New York City; and Making Steinway: An American Workplace. Last month, Payne gave the School of Visual Art’s Ralph Caplan Memorial Lecture, and shortly afterward I reached out to him to talk about his most recent book, Made in America (Abrams), his long love affair with factories, and the photographic process.

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How can architecture and urbanism once again contribute to the debate and production of Social Interest Housing (HIS)? This was one of the guiding questions behind the Guidelines for Social Interest Housing in Jardim Lapena, developed by the Tide Setubal Foundation and BlendLab for the East Zone of São Paulo. The document compiled a set of guidelines on housing, management models, site planning, and integration with the urban environment, shaping the proposals for the +Lapena Habitar Call for Projects held in late 2022.

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Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG), the developer behind the recently opened The Sphere at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, has announced that plans for a similar project in London have been withdrawn for lack of support from London’s planning officials, as reported by The Guardian. The plans were initially announced in 2018, with planning permission filed in March 2019. The 300ft-tall structure, having a capacity of 21,000 seats, was to be located in Stratford, east London. In November 2023, following a combination of unfavorable comments in planning officer reports and opposition from residents, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan withdrew his initial support.

MVRDV has just announced the WärtZ masterplan, that repurposes a former business park near the railway station into a dynamic innovation hub. Developed by AM and designed by a team including MVRDV, Orange Architects, and LOLA Landscape Architect, the scheme introduces residential homes, creative workspaces, dining establishments, and various neighborhood amenities. At the core of the new design is the newly renovated Wärtsilä hall, a former factory redesigned with a signature undulating roof topped by a hovering wooden apartment block.

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For a long time, sustainability in the architectural field was synonymous with technology. Efficiency was directly linked to innovative technological devices that adorned buildings with gadgets. Nowadays, however, sustainability increasingly encompasses different strategies that also involve acknowledging vernacular techniques and local materials as crucial for creating sustainable and carbon-neutral buildings.

Nevertheless, regardless of the technique or materials employed, the common denominator is the pursuit of reducing the carbon footprint of our architecture, which demands changes in how buildings are conceived, constructed, and operated. In other words, whether returning to vernacular methods or utilizing cutting-edge applications, these strategies aim to reach the same destination and, therefore, are equally valid despite being vastly different.

It's fascinating to observe the current state of wood in the world of architecture. The material, once seemingly forgotten by modernity, has resurged with full force, facing significant challenges but also revealing promising opportunities. The aesthetic and architectural appeal of engineered wood, coupled with its intrinsic association with sustainability, has been a catalyst for the increase in wood-centric projects around the world.

Due to technological advancements and research into the limits and possibilities of this material, there has been a significant leap in the development of wood in construction. Buildings around the world are being erected with wooden structures, driven by the increasing interest in sustainable solutions based on renewable resources, a demand from both the public and architects and their clients.

Project Positioning: Urban Renewal, Bay Area Cultural Landmark, Cultural Services for an Ancient Town's Historical Community
Nantou Ancient City is located in the rapidly developing Nanshan District of Shenzhen. Situated on the eastern bank of the Pearl River Estuary, its history dates back nearly 1,700 years to the establishment of Dongguan County in 331 AD (the sixth year of the Xianhe era in the Eastern Jin Dynasty) [1]. With Shenzhen’s reform and opening up, the area has not only preserved the spatial layout of its historical village settlement but has also integrated industrial development and high-density housing, evolving into Shenzhen’s most unique “urban village” (chengzhongcun). In 2019, with the official launch of the Nantou Ancient City Protection and Utilization Project, two core questions emerged: how to unearth Nantou's historical context, and how to address the contemporary challenges of urban renewal through innovative design? These questions became the starting point for our team, Diameter Narrative Design (DND), in curating and designing the visitor experience for the “Shared Origins Museum Group” (Tongyuan Guanqun). Nantou's history dates back to 110 BC, when the Han government established the Panyu salt office here to oversee salt production along the eastern shore of the Pearl River Estuary. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the seats of both Dongguan County and Bao'an County were set in the Nantou area, extending Dongguan's jurisdiction from the eastern bank of the estuary to what is now eastern Guangdong. Subsequently, successive imperial dynasties established political, economic, and military administrative organs in Nantou. Consequently, Nantou is not only a witness to the shared roots of Shenzhen and Hong Kong but has also directly experienced the historical evolution of the Greater Bay Area. From its inception, the Nantou project aimed to become a cultural landmark for the Greater Bay Area, with the “Shared Origins Museum Group” serving as both a physical manifestation of Nantou's historical value and a hub for community public cultural services.

Highly desirable in contemporary projects, seamless surfaces symbolize the search for a unified and uninterrupted visual experience, without any noticeable gaps or interruptions. This simple and clean aesthetic demands meticulous attention to detail, emphasizing precision in craftsmanship and execution to achieve an immaculate and flawless finish.

As a landscape architect, Dan Kiley has significantly contributed to the world of design. The designer worked with influential architects such as Louis Kahn, I.M. Pei, and Eero Saarinen. Influenced by the timeless landscapes of André Le Nôtre, most of his designs are well-known for their manner of merging grids and allées, striking a balance between natural and organized beauty.

Opening January 18th, “The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley” exhibition is a traveling photographic exhibition honoring one of the most critical Modernist landscape architects. Curated by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, the display aims to explore and spread awareness of the architect’s profound impact. Showcased at The Exhibition Space @ ABC Stone in Brooklyn, the show offers a captivating journey through 27 carefully chosen designs by Dan Kiley.

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The historical journey of construction also tells the story of humanity. The enduring examples from the past reveal insights into their specific contexts, and the remnants that have survived the elements and decay narrate the development of human technology. In the early days of construction, the common (and often the only) practice available to humans was to use locally available raw materials. For many, this meant building with clay.

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Advancements in 3D printing technology are progressing at an unprecedented pace, accompanied by a parallel surge in computational power for manipulating and creating intricate geometries. This synergy has the potential to offer architects an unprecedented level of artistic freedom in regards to the complex textures they can generate, thanks to the technology's remarkable high resolution and rapid manufacturing capabilities. If the question of production was out of the way, and architects could now sculpt virtually anything into a facade effectively and efficiently, what would they sculpt?

While typical floor plans tend to prevail in residential buildings, no two apartments are ever truly identical. Designing the interiors of these spaces requires much more than simply decorating a layout previously conceived by another architect. Among the many challenges of these projects are reconfiguring the structure to expand spaces, enhancing natural light, creating spatial permeability, and introducing decorative or landscaping elements that reflect the residents' personalities. In 2023, numerous projects showcased inspiring apartments. To provide a representative overview, we compiled the Brazilian apartments that were most visited by the ArchDaily Brasil audience over the past year. 

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For a small child, understanding the concept of time and its passage is very difficult. As a result, children are often impatient when expecting something or confused when trying to remember something from the past. They live in the present, and learn the notion of time only little by little. But accepting the passage of time, and the reality of aging, is something that plagues us even as adults. The lucrative cosmetic and plastic surgery industries show how humanity seeks to control or deny the passage of time, an urge that has proved to be relentless.

The Instituto Corrida Amiga works to bring people closer and connect them to the spaces they inhabit, aiming to transform citizens' daily lives through the perspective of active mobility, access, and the right to the city.

Part of the institute's initiatives consists of educational practices designed for diverse audiences, featuring playful-educational activities that encourage active participation and collaboration. This allows participants to express their opinions and desires, fostering decision-making, critical thinking, and empathy.

It can feel risky to change careers. This was the case with Romi, who switched from a customer service position to architecture a couple of years ago. 

“I was working in customer service for a health tech company, but I was ready to move into a more creative field after years of creating art in my free time.” She was interested in architecture but was not quite certain whether this would be the right choice for her. Then she learned from a friend about the Summer Programs at the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley, where she could experience what architecture school was like and learn more about career options in the field. She decided to try it out.

International non-profit organization World Habitat, in partnership with UN-Habitat, has announced the World Habitat Awards 2024. The prizes strive to highlight projects that demonstrate novel and transformative approaches to housing that incorporate principles of climate change adaptation and community-driven solutions. This year, 8 projects have been selected, out of which 2 projects were recognized with the Gold World Habitat Award.

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As the countdown to the XXXIII Olympic Games in Paris ticks away, the city is making preparations that will completely shift its urban landscape and infrastructure. Set to be the largest event ever organized in France, the games will start on 26 July and continue till 11 August 2024. With only 200 days left, the Paris City Council has approved around 43 new initiatives acting as a catalyst for the city's transformation – aiming for a greener, healthier, and mobile Paris. From cleaning the Seine River to building a cycling lane, activating a transit line, and banning non-essential city traffic, the heart of the French capital is on a mission against time to revitalize its historic urban core.

With a total of 95 new projects recognized by Prix Versailles, the 24 global winners of this 2023 edition have recently been announced. They stand as evidence of the aesthetic vitality of each of their respective regions, paying homage to the work of numerous pioneering and/or internationally renowned firms.

Contemporary cityscapes vary greatly from their early precedents, hosting urban life in sprawling interior spaces like mega-hotels, shopping malls, and transportation hubs. Soaring atriums and expansive concourses are now a normal part of the urban experience, allowing for public activity 'inside' the city. Interiors and urbanism are often considered at far ends of the spatial spectrum, with architecture serving as a mediator between the two. The growing significance of 'interior urbanism' in the functioning of the built environment demands the question - how can cities be reinvented from the inside out?

In the 1940s, as director of the Division of Studies and Heritage Listing at IPHAN, Lucio Costa sent his staff into the field to identify the cultural heritage scattered across Brazil, waiting to be discovered.

“Who,” “when,” and “how” were the questions his assistants had up their sleeves. Supposedly, they were meant to reveal the characteristics of the analyzed assets, in order to then categorize them as worthy or unworthy of heritage listing.

Created to offer insights into the state of the design industry, World Design Rankings (WDR) serves as a valuable resource by highlighting the creative strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of different countries. Its methodology is based on classifying all countries according to the number of designers who have received the A' Design Award between the years 2010 and 2024.

Including the 2022-2023 period, China secured the top position among 114 countries, boasting an impressive tally of 110 Platinum Design Awards globally. This announcement underscores China's enduring influence and excellence in the world of design. The top positions were also claimed by the USA, Japan, Italy, Hong Kong, Great Britain, Taiwan, Turkey, Germany, and Portugal.

New York Governor Hochul has announced a partnership with the nonprofit Friends of + POOL to open the first urban river-sourced swimming facility in the United States. Utilizing + POOL’s design and technology, the 2,000-square-foot plus-shaped swimming pool is set to open in New York City’s East River in the summer of 2024. In 2010, four young designers, Archie Lee Coates IV, Dong-Ping Wong, Jeffrey Franklin, and Oana Stanescu, established + POOL with the goal of providing New Yorkers with access to free and safe river swimming. Now the state promised to invest $16 million to pilot and scale the system, hoping to expand it across the state of New York.

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The Danish Landscape Award 2023 has been awarded to the H.C. Andersen Garden, designed by MASU Planning. The award focuses on honoring landscape architectural works with character, serving as “inspiration” for the industry. Situated in Odense in Denmark, this year’s winner was praised for reviving urban renewal in the city center by creating an escape that blends with the existing context.