Renovation work on Egypt’s infamous Menkaura Pyramid at Giza has sparked criticism on online platforms over the past two days. Dubbed by the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities as “the project of the century,” the ongoing renovation aims to restore the pyramid’s original style by reconstructing the granite layer. Initially, the pyramid was encased in granite and lost part of its covering over time.
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Giza Pyramids Renovation Sparks Controversial Heritage Debate
Bologna's 12th Century 'Leaning Tower' Set to Undergo Extensive Restorations after Fear of Collapse
Bologna officials announced plans to secure and repair the leaning Garisenda Tower, a medieval structure in the center of the Italian city. Earlier last month, the area surrounding the tower was secured after raising fears of collapse, as monitoring has found shifts in the direction of the tilt. The 47-meter-tall tower leans at a four-degree angle, similar to its more famous counterpart, Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Garisenda Tower has been a defining feature of Bologna’s skyline along with its neighboring Asinelli Tower, which is around twice the height and also leans, though at a smaller angle, and is usually open for tourists to climb.
Rescuing Architecture: Stories of Buildings Saved from Demolition
Regarding urban development, the choice between demolition and adaptive reuse holds far-reaching implications. From debates around the cultural and historical significance of structure to the environmental impact of the process of razing and rebuilding, compared to the cost of preserving and adapting, the matter of demolitions has ignited the architectural community to come together and ask for more responsible assessment strategies in hopes of rediscovering the value of existing structures. This article gathers some of the stories of buildings facing the threat of demolition and the processes that led to their rescue.
The Reconstruction of Notre Dame’s Spire Nears Completion
In April 2019, a devastating fire engulfed the 860-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in Pars, severely damaging its wooden roof and leading to the collapse of the 19th-century spire, originally designed by Viollet-le-Duc. Immediately after, French President Emmanuel Macron promised that the iconic monument would be restored in just 5 years, an ambitious deadline. As the restoration of the roof structures nears completion, in February 2023, the scaffolding for the reconstruction of the spire has been assembled. The Spire is expected to be finished by the end of the month.
Heatherwick Studio Unveils Design for New Shopping District in the Ancient City of Xi’an, China
Heatherwick Studio has revealed the design of a new shopping district in the historic city of Xi’an in Shaanxi, China. The proposal aims to highlight the city’s rich heritage of ceramic-making and, through this, to create a sensory experience for visitors in opposition to the restricted act of online shopping. Spanning over 1115,000 square meters, the development features a mixture of functions, from offices, apartments, and a hotel, to a variety of green spaces, rooftop terraces, gardens, and a sunken terrace, all doubling as social spaces. The project is under construction and scheduled for completion in 2024.
MAD Architects’ Museum of Migration in Rotterdam is Scheduled to Open in 2025
Designed by MAD Architects, the FENIX Museum of Migration is set to be inaugurated in 2025 in Rotterdam’s City Harbor. The purpose of the institution is to showcase and highlight the stories of global migration through encounters with art, architecture, photography, and history. The museum broke ground in 2020 when the first images of the proposal were also released. MAD Architects is working with Bureau Polderman for the restoration of the historic warehouse dating back to 1932, which now represents the base and starting point for the museum experience.
Niemeyer, Le Corbusier, and the History of the United Nations Headquarters Project
In 1945, the declaration of the end of World War II brought a wave of euphoria to the streets, and optimism permeated the atmosphere with the promise of brighter days. Inspired by this newfound hope, the United Nations Organization (UN) was established in the same year. The vibrant city of New York was chosen as the headquarters location, and an international team of carefully selected and invited architects was tasked with conceiving the project.
For this ambitious and truly international project, eleven renowned architects were brought together from various corners of the world. These architects, often known for their inflated egos, a common trait in their profession, were accustomed to exercising full control over their architectural designs and even their respective countries. They had to coexist in the same space and collaborate on a single project. The successful collaboration on this project would be a compelling demonstration of the possibility of achieving world peace.
Heneghan Peng Architects Wins Competition for Transforming the Ruins of a Historical Berlin Church
The design by heneghan peng architects, Dublin, with Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Berlin, was awarded 1st prize in the international competition for the replanning and expansion of the Old Tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The competition’s purpose was to redesign the original West Tower, which was partially destroyed during a bombing by the Allied Forces in 1943, and return it to the tourist circuit as a war memorial and exhibition space.
WXCA Wins Competition for the Reconstruction of Warsaw's Saxon Palace, a Pre-World War II Landmark
WXCA Architectural Design Studio has won the international competition for the reconstruction of the Saxon Palace, a heritage site located in the historical city center of Warsaw, Poland, that was significantly damaged during the Second World War. The competition, organized by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in cooperation with the Association of Polish Architects, aimed to create a concept for the restoration of the monument, which is set to be rebuilt in its external Neoclassicist form of 1939.
Ahmedabad's Iconic Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, Designed by Charles Correa, Set to be Demolished
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has just announced its plan to demolish India's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Stadium. The structure was initially designed by Charles Correa and engineer Mahenda Raj in the 1960s. A testament to “the progressive ideals and experimental spirit that characterized India’s post-independence period,” this iconic modernist structure has hosted ample cultural events for the city.
The structure was originally built to host international and domestic cricket matches. In the 1950s, the Cricket Club of Ahmedabad was granted 67,000 sqm of land to construct a Cricket Stadium. It was the country’s first “turf ground,” hosting the first cricket match in India. For the cricket community in the country, the SVP represents a venue that has nurtured and honed young cricketers from all over the state, and it has been graced by several of India's legendary players in both test and one-day cricket matches.
The Youxiong Hotel in Chaozhou Heritage City / Leeko Studio
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Architects: Leeko Studio
- Area: 2479 m²
- Year: 2023
Fortyseven Thermal Wellness Spa: A Contemporary Sanctuary Designed by Mario Botta and Captured by Paul Clemence
Fortyseven is a novel thermal wellness spa designed by the architect Mario Botta, nestled alongside the Limmat River in Baden, Switzerland. Baden, renowned for its rich cultural and wellness offerings, boasts a spa heritage that extends over thousands of years. The Fortyseven Thermal Wellness Spa has revitalized this historical legacy by presenting wellness culture through a modern lens. Designed by Mario Botta, this project offers an immersive encounter for the body, mind, and soul. The essence of the site and its design is captured by the lens of architectural photographer Paul Clemence, in his latest series.
Dorte Mandrup Wins Design Competition for the Highly Anticipated Inuit Heritage Centre in Northern Canada
Following an international competition, Dorte Mandrup has been selected to design the new Inuit Heritage Centre in the territory of Nunavut in northern Canada. Designed together with Architect of Record Guy Architects, LEES+Associates, Adjeleian Allen Rubeli, EXP, Pageau Morel, Altus Group, and indigenous consultants Kirt Ejesiak and Alexander Flaherty, the new centre aims to become a sign of cultural conciliation and a symbol of the continuation of Inuit practices, traditions and values. By offering a place where Inuit can reconnect with their collective past through objects, stories, and activities, the centre will promote greater awareness of Inuit culture. The project is expected to be completed by 2027.
The Story of Cora Kavanagh and her Emblematic Building in Buenos Aires
Perhaps without even looking for it, Cora Kavanagh would leave one of the most emblematic buildings of rationalist architecture in Argentina. Inaugurated in January 1936, with its almost 120 meters of height, the Kavanagh Building stands in front of the ravine of Plaza San Martín, located in the central neighborhood of Retiro in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
"Cora Kavanagh and her Building" is the title of Marcelo Nougués' new book that gathers the entire story, revealing everything from her building and her travels to her art collection and the different houses she lived in during a period of almost 50 years. In collaboration with Díaz Ortiz Ediciones, this 572-page printed volume compiles texts, photographs, and documents from the author's collection and also showcases selected images and illustrations from extensive research. Discover a part of this story below.
David Chipperfield and Fernando Menis Among the Winners of the European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention 2023
On June 1st, the ceremony for the VI European AHI Prize was held at the Sant Pau Hospital building in Barcelona. This recognition promoted by Architectural Heritage Intervention, in collaboration with the College of Architects of Catalonia and supported by the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Cataluña, the City Council of Barcelona, and the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, arises from the conviction that today, architectural heritage is not only an essential element of knowledge, but also a vital socio-economic resource for the sustainable development of territories.
A Mangrove for Berlin: Tropical Architecture for the Academy of Architecture
From Costa Rica, architect Bruno Stagno not only reflects on how responses to the environment can be the main basis for inspiration and identity in architecture but also proposes going a little further, with contemporary tropical architecture for an entire latitude.
What happens when these limits are extended? What happens when these motivations escape outside of the tropical context? Bruno Stagno presents here the project "A Mangrove for Berlin", his participation in the 1995 competition for the Reconstruction of the Berlin Academy of Architecture, "Berliner Bauakademie", an emblematic work of the architect Friedrich Schinkel.