Architects often find inspiration from the most unexpected places and objects. For Kalliope Kontozoglou, the C6th Cypriot Sphinx in the Louvre Museum and its tilted head were great influence behind her proposal for the International Architectural Competition for the New Cyprus Museum.

To honor the country’s rich historic archeology, and frame Nicosia’s topography, Kontozoglou proposed a multidimensional museum, which aims to weave the city’s topography, the exhibitions, and the public spaces all together in a sequence of ‘narrative landscapes’, promoting dialogue between the visitors, Cyprus’ landscape, and the country’s heritage.

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Dutch practice Mecanoo has created a new skyscraper design for the Hengli Group Headquarters in Shenzhen, China. In the city's dense urban context, the design will host the world's largest weaving enterprise in two volumes above a commercial plinth. Inspired by the Hengli Group’s textile tradition, a bronze metal grid wraps the transparent volumes like threads on a loom. As a Shenzhen Bay landmark, the project was designed to display the company’s culture and embrace new urban design strategies.

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Architectural bureau Tsimailo Lyashenko and Partners have unveiled their concept for "Brodsky", a new residential building on a high-density plot in the central district of Moscow. Situated along a river embankment, the scheme seeks to create a strong functional and visual connection between itself and the surrounding context.

The 14-story scheme named after the famous Russin poet seeks to enhance the public realm by creating a courtyard with a pedestrian alley, weaving around the scheme’s arch façade to connect with the embankment. The positioning of the courtyard alley also establishes a new visual experience not currently realized: a two-point perspective from the courtyard to the river.

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3XN has released details of its plans for T3 Bayside, the first office building in Toronto’s emerging Bayside community, and the tallest timber office building in North America. Located on the shores of Lake Ontario, the structure stands at 42 meters in height and serves as part of the 2,000-acre revitalization initiative to transform Toronto’s waterfront.

The scheme is designed to reflect and emphasize the emerging neighborhood in which it sits, intertwining principals of life, work, and play. A continuously-activated ground level is abundant with retail opportunities, bleeding into a central plaza, exhibition spaces, flexible office spaces, and coworking facilities.

“The Dragon of Tarapacá,” a new project for Museo Antropológico Regional de Iquique (Regional Museum of Iquique) that will overlook Playa Huayquique, is moving forward with the design presented by Daniel Libeskind. The proposal comes after extensive work that began in December of last year, when the American-born architect visited Chile to familiarize himself with the the project, originally proposed by Mauricio Soria Macchiavello, the local mayor.

The first inklings of the project started almost 30 years ago, as the city sought to optimize the spaces along the coastline, allowing residents better access to the sea and optimizing the community's public spaces.