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I really believe that the role of the museum is to go beyond the boundaries of the building and to engage in contemporary life, so by creating a new public outdoor space – a new courtyard, a new place – we’ve renegotiated the relationship between street and museum

In this video from CNN Style, director Matthew Donaldson takes us inside the just completed courtyard entrance and extension of London’s V&A Museum, the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design. Designed by AL_A, the newly completed space features 11,840 square feet of flexible gallery space and the world’s first public courtyard constructed entirely of porcelain, paved with 11,000 tiles in 15 different patterns handcrafted by Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum, the Netherlands' oldest registered company.

Featuring narration by Amanda Levete, founder of AL_A, the video offers an intimate look at the project’s above- and below-ground spaces, including the entry pavilion, sleek new stair and skylight-lit galleries.

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Following extensive renovations led by Philip Gumuchdjian and landscape architect Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, 'Wimbledon House'—formerly known as the Rogers House or '22 Parkside'—has reopened as the Harvard GSD's primary residence and London venue for the Richard Rogers Fellowship.

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Videos

Ground has been broken on a key component of Canada’s largest urban development undertaking, in the form of a 236,000 square foot mixed-use tower in the City of Vaughan, designed by Toronto-based firm Diamond Schmitt Architects. Situated at the core of SmartCentres Place with easy access to nearby retail and commercial spots, the tower will serve as the new home of PwC Canada, in combination with a 100,000-square-foot YMCA, a 20,000-square-foot public library, 10,000-square-foot community space and 3000 square feet of retail.

The PwC-YMCA Tower further illustrates the architectural quality and urban design excellence that is a hallmark of this smart, pedestrian-friendly precinct, explained Donald Schmitt, principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects.

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BIG is getting even bigger.

The firm’s ever expanding project load – since just last fall, 6 projects have been completed with 7 more under construction – has prompted some major changes and expansions, including the establishment of an in-house engineering department in March and the continued development of the think tank research group, BIG IDEAS.

In this profile for Building Design in Construction Network, BIG Managing Partner and Head of Global Business Development Kai-Uwe Bergmann discusses the upcoming move of the firm’s New York office into their new 52,000-square-foot offices in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Dumbo – a space more than double their current location in lower Manhattan – and the shifting role of the practice’s founder and charismatic front man, Bjarke Ingels.

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