Heinz Architectural Center: The Latest Architecture and News

This week's architecture news covers a range of projects addressing the changing needs of cities, from the adaptation of existing sites to the development of new cultural and public spaces. As Antalya prepares to host COP31, projects in Rotterdam and Pittsburgh focus on the renovation of established cultural institutions, while developments in Copenhagen, Chicago, and Tbilisi explore new approaches to recreation, public access, and urban regeneration. Elsewhere, Foster + Partners has revealed plans for a mixed-use development in Yerevan, VG13 Architects has won the competition for a new stadium and sports district in Zagreb, and Aria Property Group has unveiled a residential and public precinct in Brisbane ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Art has commissioned architecture and urban design practice AD—WO to reimagine the Heinz Architectural Center. The practice, led by Emanuel Admassu and Jen Wood and one of the winners of the ArchDaily 2026 Next Practices Awards, was recognized for exploring relationships among people, place, history and material culture, bringing an interdisciplinary approach to the architecture experience. The Heinz Architectural Center is the museum's forum to present, explore and incubate architectural ideas, currently located in the institution's main building, which dates from 1907. The new design aims to transform the Center into a contemporary facility that brings together exhibitions, collections, research, learning and public engagement. AD—WO is working with R3A as architect of record, Buro Happold for engineering and sustainability, Tillotson Design Associates for lighting and VizzAcoustics for acoustics.

The city of Pittsburgh encountered and was transformed by modern architecture in an ambitious program of urban revitalization in the 1950s and ’60s. HAC Lab Pittsburgh: Imagining the Modern untangles Pittsburgh’s complicated relationship with modern architecture and urban planning. This experimental presentation at Carnegie Museum of Art’s Heinz Architectural Center includes abundant archival materials from the period, an active architecture studio, and a salon-style discussion space, unearthing layers of history and a range of perspectives.

Sketch to Structure unfolds the architectural design process to show how buildings take shape. With sketches, plans, blueprints, renderings, and models from the Heinz Architectural Center collection, this exhibition reveals that architectural design, from initial concept to client presentation, isn’t straightforward.