The world's most visited architecture platform

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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.

The flow of architectural values throughout the centuries demonstrates the prevalence of some parameters over others in each historical period. In terms of composition, one of the most fundamental considerations revolves around issues of symmetry and balance. Indeed, a design does not necessarily have to be symmetrical to convey the notion of compositional balance. Its elements do not have to be repeated side by side for the whole to convey a sense of completeness, stability, and... paradoxically, symmetry. Many contemporary projects achieve a balanced compositional whole without repeating their elements side by side.

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In a city, celebrating the act of walking has become a form of non-traditional planning. In the age of cars, challenging the dominance of vehicular transportation by championing the pedestrian experience is not very common. For this reason, pedestrian bridges worldwide stand as symbols of connectivity and architectural ingenuity. These soaring structures embody the urban experience for its core user: the pedestrian. Although the structures began as practical solutions to traffic management, they have evolved into iconic landmarks and pivotal components of city planning.

The significance of these projects represents a shift towards human-centric design in urban landscapes. The Kusugibashi Bridge in Japan, rebuilt by Kengo Kuma & Associates symbolizes resilience, while the Hangzhou Riverfront Public Space’s Silk Bridge showcases urban connectivity through revitalizing the waterfront. The Donnguan Central Area Slow-Traffic Bridge addresses connectivity and greenery, and SBE NV’s Vlasburg Bridge dedicates itself to enhanced water routes for the community. Collectively, these bridges drive urban revitalization into the future, emphasizing sustainability and integrating with community needs.

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