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What does a globally active, well-positioned company with a strong US sales partner, a sales office in Hong Kong, and nine subsidiaries have in common with a small town in Poland? A great deal, it turns out: a few years ago, the idea of honouring design and architecture that provides social, ecological, and sustainable benefits to society gave rise to an ambitious competition. 

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Following Rio de Janeiro’s inaugural hold of the title, Copenhagen has been named World Capital of Architecture for 2023 by UNESCO and will host the International Union of Architect’s World Congress 2 years from now. At its second edition, the initiative supported by UNESCO in partnership with UIA is meant to highlight the role of architecture and urban planning in shaping a sustainable future and tackling global challenges. Designated triennially, the city World Capital of Architecture will become an international forum for debate around issues related to the urban environment.

In theory, parking spaces serve only one function: park a car safely until it is used again, and in terms of design, car garages are flexible and straightforward, requiring minimal design interventions. However, parking spaces nowadays are no longer considered one-function buildings. The emptier the space, the more potential it has to integrate additional functions. Architects and urban planners have redefined traditional parking lots, adding recreational and commercial facilities to the structure. Instead of a typical structured grid plan with yellow and white markings on the floor, we are now seeing inviting structures that incorporate green facades and rooftop playgrounds, car washes, cafeterias, and work/study zones.

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Last September, the EU launched the New European Bauhaus, an initiative designed to transform the built environment into a more sustainable one with higher social value. The project, shaped through an unprecedented co-design process, is now calling for architects, students, specialists, and citizens to share ideas, examples and challenges to help define the movement's concrete steps.

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As a human creation, architecture as an object always poses the challenge of its integration into the landscape. When a design opts to go underground, it can bring various design benefits, such as blending into the context, as well as technical advantages like increased thermodynamic efficiency.

This article was originally published on Common Edge

I spent four glorious days in Copenhagen in 2017 and left with an acute case of urban envy. (I kept thinking: It’s like..an American Portland—except better.) Why can’t we do cities like this in the United States? That’s the question an urban nerd like me asks while strolling the famously pedestrian-friendly streets, as hordes of impossibly blond and fit Danes bicycle briskly past.

Although concrete is one of the most widely used building materials in the world, thanks to its durability, versatility, and weather resistance, we must not forget that the concrete industry is one of the largest CO2 emitters in the construction sector. Consequently, over the past few years, many architects have begun to experiment with new possibilities to optimize its performance, leveraging its technical advantages while seeking to address some of its environmental drawbacks. As a result, some designers have begun exploring the possibility of replacing traditional wooden formwork with more sustainable materials like bamboo—a plant that grows abundantly across most of the world and offers high-quality textured finishes with a low environmental impact.

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Bjarke Ingels Group.'s vortex-shaped education center has opened in the Faroe Islands. The Glasir Tórshavn College combines three schools under one roof in an area of over 19,000 square meters. Made to celebrates the Faroese landscape, the project includes the Faroe Islands Gymnasium, Tórshavn Technical College and the Business College. The design features glass façades that are mounted in a sawtooth shingle to form the building's circular shape.

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