Cultural Center: The Latest Architecture and News

Kéré Architecture has unveiled its proposal for the 40,000-square-meter Biblioteca dos Saberes (House of Wisdom) in Rio de Janeiro's Cidade Nova neighborhood. Designed by Francis Kéré, Mariona Maeso Deitg, and Juan Carlos Zapata, the cultural complex is commissioned by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall and planned for a site near Valongo Wharf and the Little Africa area. The design was presented to members of the community on November 20, the National Day of Zumbi and Black Consciousness in Brazil. Important features include a perforated façade for sun protection, roof gardens, landscaped terraces, shaded courtyards, open-air areas, a canopied amphitheater, and a pedestrian bridge connecting the building to the nearby monument to Zumbi dos Palmares.

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In 1952, American composer John Cage presented his groundbreaking piece "4'33''" for the first time. In it, the orchestra produces no intentional sound for four minutes and thirty-three seconds. What can be heard instead are breaths, movements, and subtle noises that would normally go unnoticed, but here become part of the composition itself. With this work, Cage revealed that absolute silence does not exist. There is always sound, even when unplanned.

In the same way, every architectural space has its own soundscape. Sound moves, reflects, reverberates, and dissipates according to the materials, volumes, and surfaces it encounters. Hard walls and high ceilings can amplify echoes, while fabrics and porous panels soften them. Acoustics, therefore, is not merely a technical concern but a form of materialized listening, a science that operates at the boundary between perception and emotion. For this reason, it is also complex. Each typology, whether a museum, temple, studio, or theater, has its own sonic logic, and understanding these nuances is essential to creating spaces that embrace sound, voice, and silence with equal precision.

SANAA, led by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, has unveiled its design for the Taichung Art Museum in central Taiwan. The new institution is scheduled to open on December 13, 2025, as part of the Taichung Green Museumbrary project, developed in collaboration with local firm Ricky Liu & Associates. Conceived as a major cultural initiative, the project combines a contemporary art museum, library resources, and public parkland. It aims to create a new institutional model for Taichung, one that supports artistic exchange and public programming while positioning the city as an international cultural hub.

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October will see the opening of Ibraaz, a new cultural space reimagined by Architect-in-Residence Sumayya Vally in central London. The initiative is led by the Kamel Lazaar Foundation and aims to highlight art, culture, and ideas from the Global Majority: communities of African, Asian, Indigenous, and Latin American heritage that together represent most of the world's population. The project seeks to bridge local and global conversations by creating a "world of many worlds" within a single venue: a six-floor, 10,000-square-foot building that has undergone multiple transformations, from synagogue to residence, club, and now cultural center.

Renzo Piano Building Workshop, in collaboration with Betaplan Architects (Athens) and landscape architect Camille Muller (Paris), has revealed the first images of a new cultural center under development in Piraeus, the port of Athens. Commissioned by The Dinos and Lia Martinos Foundation (DLMF), the project seeks to establish an international hub connected to similar art centers abroad, open to the local community, students, and visitors, and contributing to the urban and cultural fabric of the Athens metropolitan area. The complex, called KYKLOS, is planned to host contemporary art collections and cultural programming with an international outlook. Initiated in 2023, the project is currently in development, with construction planned to extend through the last quarter of 2028.

This edition of Architecture Now brings together projects that explore how architecture is reshaping global gateways, cultural destinations, and urban living. SOM's design for a new Arrivals and Departures Hall in Austin and Scott Brownrigg's Heathrow West proposal highlight the airport as a civic threshold, while Kerry Hill Architects' three-tower precinct in Brisbane emphasizes public space and subtropical landscapes in high-density housing. Zaha Hadid Architects' beachfront tower in Florida extends Miami's sculptural coastal tradition, and Pharrell Williams and NIGO's Japa Valley Tokyo introduces a temporary cultural district blending art, hospitality, and retail. Together, these initiatives reflect how infrastructure, lifestyle, and design intersect to define contemporary urban experience.

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CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati has unveiled images of its design for a new cultural center in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The project is located in Kazanchis, a cultural, musical, and historic neighborhood currently undergoing transformation as part of a government-led urban renewal program focused on corridor development. This neighborhood was home to the traditional compound of the Fendika Cultural Center, a hub for Ethiopia's traditional and experimental arts, which was demolished on October 23, 2024, after the site was designated for redevelopment as part of the systematic clearing of the area. In recognition of Fendika's cultural significance, the Addis Ababa Municipality offered the institution the opportunity to remain on-site and rebuild in a way that aligned with the city's plans for the neighborhood. CRA's project responds to this context with an open stage and a four-story civic space.

Studio Gang, led by Jeanne Gang, in collaboration with Lincoln Road Enterprises, a philanthropic organization advancing women's leadership, has unveiled the design for the forthcoming Women's Leadership Center at Williams Bay. Located on an 8.6-acre site overlooking Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin, the 24,000-square-foot retreat center is designed to support innovation, collaboration, and leadership programming for professional women's groups. The project broke ground in July 2024 and is scheduled for completion in 2026.

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Zaha Hadid Architects have announced the breaking ground for the Centre of Mediterranean Culture in Reggio Calabria, Italy. The 24,000 square-meter structure houses diverse spaces, including a network of exhibition galleries, both permanent and temporary, capable of showcasing a wide range of displays. An integrated aquarium is a key feature, offering visitors a glimpse into the marine life of the Strait. The building also provides conference facilities, including a large auditorium suitable for performances, presentations, and industry events. Dedicated educational spaces are incorporated to support the region's schools, and visitor amenities include a bookshop and a restaurant and bar overlooking the port.

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The DAM Preis 2025, presented by the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM), has been awarded to AFF Architekten for their project, Spore Haus, in Berlin. As one of Germany's most recognized architecture awards, the DAM Preis highlights significant contributions to contemporary architectural practice. This year's winner, Spore Haus, was selected for its "thoughtful design and careful integration" into the urban context, as well as its contribution to public life.

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Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), in collaboration with ALB-Architect, has unveiled the design for the Opera & Ballet Theatre of Kosovo, a new cultural venue set to reshape Prishtina's performing arts landscape. As the first opera house in the Republic of Kosovo, the theatre will serve as a home for the country's Philharmonic, Ballet, and Opera, marking a significant step in the development of Kosovo's artistic institutions. The project includes multiple performance halls and a public plaza, reinforcing its role as a cultural hub within the capital.

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