Architecture: The Latest Architecture and News

Last week, Japanese architect and social advocate, Riken Yamamoto, was selected as the 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, the 53rd honoree of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, and the ninth architect from Japan to receive this recognition. With a body of built works that spans five decades, ranging from private residences to large-scale housing complexes, educational institutions, and civic spaces, scattered around Japan, China, South Korea, and Switzerland, Yamamoto's architecture is focused on building community and blurring the boundaries between the public and private spheres. In a series of videos produced by the Pritzker Prize, the architect goes back to the fundamentals and discusses the threshold system, transparency, community, and the landscape.

MVRDV has just begun construction on the LXK Office and Residential Campus in Berlin. Situated in Friedrichshain, near Berlin Ostbahnhof, the development spans approximately 61,200 sqm and boasts city center views from its green rooftops and terraces. Designed as two buildings, a horizontal band encircles the middle of either structure, serving as a distinctive landmark in Berlin.

In our exploration of architectural endeavors, it is essential to recognize the persistent influence of women, particularly from the Global South, in shaping our built environment, especially the contributions of women who serve as catalysts for social change and cultural celebration. As we delve further into their narratives, it becomes evident that the architects’ lived experiences inform their creative processes, resulting in spaces that resonate with their users and surroundings. Architects like Sumaya Dabbagh, Mariam Issoufou, Tosin Oshinowo, and Marina Tabassum embody this enduring spirit of innovation and resilience.

This curated collection unfolds the narratives of some of the most compelling architectural projects by women from the Global South. From the unique streets of Dubai to the rural landscapes of Niger, each project serves as a testament to the power of architecture to transcend gender boundaries and create meaningful designs that connect people and their surroundings.

Videos

The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design discuss whether or not architects are optimists. Many claim to be, but are they? The two cover in what ways architects are optimists, when architects are pessimists, how to be an optimist and how it impacts one’s work, being a realist, and more.

Brooklyn-based firm SO-IL has revealed the design for a new campus art museum at Williams College in Massachusetts, created to become a primary teaching resource for the institution renowned for its art history program. Since its inauguration in 1926, the Williams College Museum of Art has gathered an expansive collection of over 15,000 works. Through the design of SO-IL, the museum will be able to move into its first freestanding purpose-built home. In May 2024, the museum will present an exhibition on SO-IL’s design.

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Considered the fifth most populous city in the world as of 2022, São Paulo is confronted with a multitude of challenges befitting its over 22 million inhabitants. Among the numerous urban issues faced, the depopulation of the city's historic center has been a recurring topic for at least four decades, with governments announcing measures that could potentially reverse the situation. In the meantime, the same center has witnessed a rise in housing occupations in abandoned buildings, highlighting the importance of its redefinition and residential potential.

BIG and HNTB have just won the competition to design an Athletics ballpark in Las Vegas. Situated along the iconic Las Vegas Strip, the ballpark for the Athletics Major League Baseball team promises to uphold the values of the “Entertainment Capital of the World.” Nestled between Tropicana Avenue and Reno Avenue on Las Vegas Boulevard, the ballpark boasts 33,000 seats in an open-air stadium sprawling across nine acres.

Throughout history, numerous cities worldwide have been settled and built on hillsides, where one can observe the myriad urban challenges they face due to their topographical conditions. However, beyond issues related to their urban infrastructure or transportation systems, which can become more complex due to the geography, hillside urban occupation typically involves various intersections of social, environmental, and economic issues.

These settlements are often inhabited by vulnerable and low-income communities, driven by a variety of motivations. Frequently, the lack of information about certain hazards, coupled with the scarcity of adequate housing policies, leads to decisions and actions that place these communities in high-risk situations, especially during the rainy season, resulting in a cycle that disproportionately affects the most marginalized residents.

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CityMakers, The Global Community of Architects Learning from Model Cities and Their Makers is working with Archdaily to publish a series of articles about Barcelona, Medellin, and Rotterdam. The authors are the architects, urban planners, and/or strategists behind the projects that have transformed these three cities and are known in the "Schools of Cities" and "Documentary Courses" made by CityMakers.

There is currently a broad consensus on the importance of public space in the city. Although it may seem quite logical, its significance is not as old as human settlements, which have existed for millennia. The Athens Charter, written just 91 years ago, did not speak so much about the city as a place to live but as a functional machine. Almost a century later, the paradigm has shifted: the city is, above all, its public space. But what happens when public space is threatened by car proliferation, insecurity, or even water?

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