Photographer: Tian Fangfang | ArchDaily

Snøhetta's Shanghai Grand Opera House and Foster + Partners' New Neighbourhood in Seoul: This Week’s Review

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:30:00 +0000

This week belonged to the arts, with cultural architecture dominating headlines across the globe. Landmark buildings for major institutions advanced through important construction and design milestones, from the Shanghai Opera House to Abu Dhabi's new performing arts center, while two new museum commissions were announced following international competitions. Architecture also took centre stage as a subject of exhibition itself, with the Sharjah Architecture Triennial revealing its participant list and Austria unveiling its proposal for the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale. Beyond these developments, this week's news compilation includes three upcoming urban design projects: in Seoul, South Korea, a new riverside neighbourhood in the Apgujeong district weaves residential towers around parkland connecting the city to the Han River; in Cardiff, Wales, a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Taff links waterfront neighbourhoods to new housing along the water's edge; and in Bengaluru, South India, the Museum of Art and Photography is expanding its public campus, adding new civic and cultural facilities alongside a major new sculpture park set within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Tamil Nadu.

Snøhetta's Shanghai Grand Opera House Nears Completion Ahead of October Opening

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Snøhetta's Shanghai Grand Opera House has entered its final construction phase. Preparations are underway for the building's official opening on October 17, 2026, kicking off a performance season featuring 82 performances across 47 acclaimed productions. Snøhetta's spiralling design for the new cultural venue was selected via an international competition in 2016. In 2019, the architecture firm, along with East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI), Theatre Projects, and Nagata Acoustics, was formally commissioned to deliver the building from concept to completion. The project was originally set to be completed in 2025, as part of a broader cultural master plan aimed at reinforcing Shanghai's role as an international centre of culture and innovation.

Kingdee Cloud Tower / HENN

Hadir Al Koshta — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 01:00:00 +0000

The Cloud Tower completes the existing Kingdee software park in Shenzhen's Nanshan neighborhood, which is an emerging tech district. Located on the edge of a green strip, the 211-meter-high tower provides space for offices, conferences, and a restaurant for Kingdee, a leading provider of enterprise management cloud services globally.