The intersection of architecture and medicine profoundly shaped modernist design, where transparency, light, and air became essential tools in the pursuit of health. Emerging from the tuberculosis crisis of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the sanatorium evolved beyond a medical facility into a testing ground for architectural innovation. The necessity of fresh air, sunlight, and sterility transformed these spaces into prototypes for modernist principles, influencing spatial organization, material choices, and design philosophies that extended far beyond healthcare.
More than sites of treatment, sanatoriums embodied contemporary medical theories in built form. At a time when tuberculosis — often called the white plague — devastated populations worldwide, medical professionals prescribed environmental exposure as the primary therapy. Architecture adapted accordingly, producing buildings with expansive terraces, large windows, and streamlined interiors designed to optimize ventilation and maximize natural light.
The Los Angeles City Council has approved the revised Citywide Adaptive Reuse Ordinance (Citywide ARO), which is planned to take effect in 2025. Building on the success of the 1999 ordinance, which facilitated the creation of over 12,000 housing units in Downtown LA, the updated policy aims to address the city's ongoing housing crisis and repurpose underutilized buildings.
BIG, Bjarke Ingels Group, has been selected to design the new Hungarian Natural History Museum in Debrecen. Located on a former sports ground at the northern edge of the city's Great Forest, Nagyerdő, the 23,000 m² museum is being developed in collaboration with Vikár és Lukács Építés Stúdió, Museum Studio, and TYPSA. The new institution will replace the existing museum in Budapest, supporting the government's vision to establish Debrecen as a regional hub for education and culture by 2030. Commissioned by the Museum and the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, the new building will house permanent and temporary exhibition halls, educational and research facilities, public amenities, and back-of-house spaces.
Terrace Garden between both phases. Image Courtesy of NEUF architect(e)s
With modern medicine, it may be difficult for many people today to imagine the devastation caused by Tuberculosis (TB) just about 100 years ago. Initially associated with insalubrious, overcrowded conditions, just in Canada it caused the death of approximately 8000 people annually in the late 19th century. During this time, before more advanced treatments were discovered, prescriptions from doctors involved sunlight, fresh air, and rest. As a response, sanatoria were established. These were places where patients could be separated from the community to manage their disease. One testament to that legacy stands in the heart of Montreal: the former Royal Edward Laurentian Institute, later known as the Montreal Chest Institute. Born from crisis, it has since become a symbol of resilience, transformation, and innovation, shifting from a space of isolation to a thriving hub for research and entrepreneurship in the life sciences.
Between silence and chaos, we shape our world. Every space we inhabit tells a story, evokes emotions, and influences our thoughts. Minimalism, with its lightness and purpose, invites serenity. Maximalism, exuberant and vibrant, celebrates personality in every detail. But how do these philosophies affect our minds? Understanding their psychological impact can be key to creating environments that enhance well-being and bring harmony to life.
For three weeks, from March 28 to April 20, 2025, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. will host the art festival "EARTH to SPACE: Arts Breaking the Sky." Curated by Alicia Adams, Vice President of International Programming, and Gilda Almeida, Director of International Programming, the festival includes a full agenda of performances, film screenings, talks, panels, and exhibitions. As part of the festival, Foster + Partners has designed an exhibition titled "From Earth to Space and Back," inviting visitors to imagine a future where humans have experienced life on Mars, where exploring new worlds is within reach, and where technological advancements in space revolutionize life on Earth. The festival is based on the idea that imagining life in space can inspire solutions for living on Earth, a perspective reflected in the projects presented by Foster + Partners.
Gallaudet University was established in 1864, becoming the first American educational institution for the deaf and hard of hearing. The university is officially bilingual, with American Sign Language (ASL) and written English used throughout the educational programs. Over the years, the university has grown, adapting both its teaching methods and its spaces to the needs of its students, in turn learning from them how to counter the challenges they face and create a safer and more comfortable environment. These lessons turned into design guidelines, created to educate the architectural community about the strategies they can employ to create more accessible spaces for all.
Following two exciting weeks of nominations, ArchDaily's readers have evaluated over 500 projects and selected 15 finalists for the Building of the Year Award China. Architects and enthusiasts participated in the nomination process, choosing projects that exemplify what it means to push architecture forward. These finalists are the buildings that have inspired ArchDaily readers the most, which also reveal the growing trend of Chinese architecture.
Among the 15 finalists of the 2025 China Building of the Year Award, we can see a gradual shift in focus from large-scale public buildings to rural revitalization, community public spaces, exploration of new typology of school and small-scale interior spaces. People are paying more attention to their personal needs and living experiences as well as the surrounding spaces. We can also observe how different firms are responding to the needs of cities and users during the period of transformation in the real estate.
Before we get to shortlisted nominees, we want to highlight the values of this awards process — as the world's largest platform for architecture we are acutely aware of our responsibility to the profession, and to the advancement of architecture as a discipline. Since our mission is directly related to the architecture of the future—inspiring and educating the people who will design the urban fabric of the future—the trust placed in us by our readers to reflect architectural trends from regions around the whole world creates challenges that we are eager to rise to. The democratically-voted, user-centered Building of the YearAwards is one of the key pillars of our response to these challenges, aiming to tear down established hierarchies and geographical barriers. Here are the 15 finalists of the 2025 China Building of the Year Award, and the voting period will run from April 2nd to April 9th, 11:59 PM (Beijing Time), 2025. The final winners will be announced onApril 10th, 2025. Click here to see the details and how to vote.
The 63rd edition of the Salone del Mobile will take place in Milan from April 8 to 13, 2025. Dating back to 1961, Salone del Mobile is a trade fair that covers a wide range of interior design products. The theme of this edition focuses on exploring the deep connections between humanity and design, aiming to establish the event as a creative platform beyond its commercial functions. The fair also serves as a laboratory for experimentation and the exchange of ideas, where new prototypes for furniture and domestic spaces are presented in settings that bring different narratives about ways of living to life. In addition to the furniture exhibition, the event will feature installations, conferences, and workshops, all taking place over the five days at Milan's Rho Fiera fairgrounds.
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Meeting House Square, Temple Bar. Image Courtesy of Sean Harrington Architects
The veteran Irish architecture critic Shane O'Toole once remarked that when traveling in Europe in the 1970s, "The universal comment was is there modern architecture in Ireland? Now, in less than 50 years, we've gone to a Pritzker Prize and two RIBA Royal Gold Medallists in five years." He attributes this change in perception to a design competition that launched the careers of several of Ireland's award-winning architects of today. This was the Temple Bar Framework Plan competition of 1991 in the center of Dublin, the capital of Ireland, which was won by a group of architects still in their 30s, running under the name of Group 91.
As a result of the ideas competition organized by the governments of Sweden, Finland, and Norway in 1958, Sverre Fehn's Nordic Pavilion won first prize, becoming one of the most significant works of his career and one of the most outstanding Scandinavian architectural achievements during the mid-20th century. Designed to create a space at the Venice Biennale for the biennial exhibitions of these countries, Fehn's proposal addressed several key architectural challenges—ranging from its integration with the site and incorporation of pre-existing elements to the handling of physical boundaries and uniform natural lighting. His design explored the interaction between architecture and trees, the flexibility in the exhibition space, the filtering of light, the connection between interior and exterior, the concept of movement through space, and the display of artworks.
The modern world is disconnected. Online interactions dominate the daily lives of people across the world. This shift is not just a result of the rise of the internet, but also a stark reflection of the decline of public spaces, particularly third places. Third places, once essential for promoting community and social cohesion, have evolved drastically over the past few decades. In today's commercialized landscape, third places face plenty of demands from users and designers alike, calling for a need to reconsider their accessibility and purpose.
The Lithuanian Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale presents Archi / Tree / tecture, a project by the National Architects Association. Commissioned by Juratė Tutlyte and curated by architect Gintaras Balčytis, the exhibition invites architects, students, communities, and visitors to reflect on the deep connections between architecture and urban nature. It positions the discipline as an interpretive medium that reveals the layered relationships shaping our cities, which in turn reflect these dynamic interactions. The proposal evokes an urban memory rooted in landscapes where fields and trees once stood, introducing the dimension of time into discussions on city ecosystems, sustainability, and resilience. The exhibition, an indoor installation designed by architects Paulius Vaitiekūnas, Andrius Pukis, and Vika Pranaitytė, will be set within the Church of Santa Maria dei Derelitti. The audiovisual and light installation in the pavilion was designed by the interdisciplinary art duo Lina Pranaitytė and Urtė Pakers, while the sculptural component of the installation was created by Kęstutis Lanauskas.
Dutch architecture firm MVRDV has won the competition to design a new multifunctional market and food hall in Zhubei, Taiwan. Developed in collaboration with local firm EKUO, the project, referred to as the "Market Cube" or "River Bank 1," aims to redefine the traditional market building through a vertically layered, highly adaptable structure. Positioned along the Touqian River at a prominent gateway between Zhubei and neighboring Hsinchu, the building is set to become a major civic destination.
When we think about cities, we often assume the orthogonal grid is the norm: neat, predictable, and rational. However, many urban areas around the world, notably those shaped by hills and uneven terrain, defy this convention. In cities like Lisbon, in Portugal orthogonal grids appear only in flatter zones such as Baixa, while surrounding areas like Alfama adapt organically to topography. These areas create more layered, irregular, and visually dynamic urban forms. Yerevan in Armenia, offers another urban example of this adaptation: the Cascade Complex transforms a steep hill into a terraced public space that connects different city levels while framing panoramic views. For other countries, this response to topography becomes even more critical. Cities like Tegucigalpa in Honduras or Valparaiso in Chile are defined by steep, irregular terrain that requires architects to engage deeply with the land. Designing in these contexts, especially for residential projects, demands technical adaptation and a contextual understanding that allows the slope to become a generative element in the design process.
How can architecture professionals transform the atmosphere of a structure? What kinds of interventions can go beyond adaptive reuse to modify spatial perception? As architectural structures are repurposed over time, new uses and needs emerge between spaces and their users. While the structures of old buildings keep the memory of communities alive, the introduction of new life through greenhouses, housing, commerce, offices, or cultural centers brings about new atmospheres where light, ventilation, the integration of nature, and other elements reshape interior experiences.
A change in the way architecture was practiced in Colombia was necessary, and Taller Síntesis emerged to materialize this transformation. The studio combines a deep understanding of the territory and its context with architectural solutions that translate into materiality and built spaces. Their works stand out for their strong local cultural identity, achieving a precise balance between the preexisting, the new, and harmony with the landscape.
Happening throughout 8 days across 12 cities from north to south of Ecuador, the "no-bienal" biennale is holding its second edition from March 25 to April 1, 2025. Its unique name is devised to stand in opposition to the competitive structure that characterizes traditional biennials in the discipline. One of the objectives of this new edition is to demonstrate that there is unity in Ecuador, resisting the political strategies of division. Escuela Radical, the educational collective at the center of the event's organization, asserts that "it is not about centralization or decentralization, but simply about sharing without competing."
