Maritime Building | Tag

Why Sit by the Dock of the Bay? Designing Thresholds to the Water

Subscriber Access | September 24, 2025

Boat docks and harbors are liminal spaces where the shore marks the meeting of land and water, and serve as a space for the convergence of culture, industry, and community. For those who work at sea, from commercial fishers to marine freight operators, the dock is a threshold between labor and rest, between oceanic uncertainty and terrestrial stability. For others, the dock serves as a gateway to recreation, sport, and adventure, accommodating everything from rowing clubs to family sailing trips. And for many who never board a vessel, the dock offers a powerful connection to the marine environment where one can pause, observe, and engage with the rhythmic tides.

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Navigating Boundaries: The Architectural Legacy of Lighthouses

July 02, 2025

Lighthouses have stood along the margins of continents and islands for centuries as points of light in vast maritime territories. Rising in solitude from rocky cliffs, reefs, and headlands, these towers were tools for navigation and instruments of spatial clarity, shaping coastlines and marking the boundary between land and sea. Built to guide, warn, and locate, they constituted a global network of visibility long before the advent of digital mapping. Yet as maritime technologies evolved, many of these structures lost their original purpose. The typology, once essential, now stands at the edge of obsolescence. What remains is not merely an architectural relic, but a powerful spatial form — resilient, symbolic, and increasingly open to reinterpretation.

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Indonesia Pavilion Opens at Expo 2025 Osaka with Boat-Inspired Design

April 23, 2025

The Indonesia Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, open to visitors from April 13 to October 13, 2025, showcases a combination of tradition and forward-looking vision in alignment with the Expo's theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives." Symbolizing the philosophy of "Diversity in Unity," the pavilion draws inspiration from Indonesia's rich maritime history. Its structure takes the form of a stylized boat hull, representing progress and resilience. The rising shape of the design reflects Indonesia's optimistic outlook, moving forward, facing challenges with determination, and striving to achieve ambitious goals.

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Kengo Kuma’s Portugal Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka Opens as a Tribute to the Ocean

April 17, 2025

The Portugal Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka embraces the theme "Ocean, The Blue Dialogue", offering visitors an immersive exploration of the ocean as a life-giving resource and a cornerstone of sustainability. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the Pavilion aims to reflect Portugal's deep historical, cultural, and economic connections to the sea, creating an architectural and narrative journey that bridges past, present, and future. The pavilion has recently been inaugurated in the in the "Empowering Lives" zone, next to the Bahrain Pavilion, designed by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture and the Austrian Pavilion by BWM Architects.

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EFFEKT and MAST Reveal Gateway to Denmark’s Largest Marine Nature Park

August 26, 2024

EFFEKT and MAST have just revealed SØMÆRKET, a new access point to Nature Park Lillebælt in Denmark. Serving as the gateway to one of Denmark’s most protected coastal landscapes, the Little Belt strait, the design aims to strengthen the connections between the cities of Middlefart, Holding, and Fredericia. Renowned for having the world’s highest concentration of harbor porpoises and a rich diversity of flora and fauna, the Little Belt Strait is a popular destination for divers across Europe.

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Lina Ghotmeh Completes the Pavilion of the Kingdom of Bahrain for Expo Osaka 2025

June 04, 2024

Lebanese French architect Lina Ghotmeh, leading the Paris-based studio Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture, has revealed the first photographs of the National Pavilion of the Kingdom of Bahrain for the Expo Osaka 2025. The design draws inspiration from the traditional Bahraini dhow boats, employing the country's historical boat-building technologies to showcase Bahrain's craftsmanship and manufacturing heritage. The pavilion is also a nod to the hosts of the World Expo, drawing parallels with Japanese wood artistry. Commissioned and organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, this marks the country's fourth contribution to the World Expo. The pavilion is located in the "Empowering Lives" zone, spanning 995 square meters and inviting visitors to engage through a sensory exhibition experience.

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Snøhetta and WERK Arkitekter’s New Maritime Center in Esbjerg, Denmark, Opens to the Public

January 12, 2023

Developed by WERK Arkitekter and Snøhetta, the new maritime center on the coast of Esbjerg, Denmark, opens to the public. The wooden structure is conceived as a gathering space for watersports clubs and other visitors to the harbor, providing the coastal town with a maritime social hub. The circular structure protects the visitors from harsh weather conditions, while the large windows and amphitheater stairs open up views of the sea. Dubbed “The Lantern,” the project represents the winning design of a competition organized in 2019.

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Building Near the Sea: Façade Solutions for Greater Durability

October 14, 2022 | Sponsored Content

When building near the sea, a project’s design strategy must pay special attention to the effects of marine corrosion. The salt content in the environment provokes a chemical and physical process which incites a material breakdown or degradation, compromising the durability of the building’s infrastructure.

As a response to the demands for ocean-side buildings, and the corresponding façade components that go along with them, air-lux has developed a system that aims to perform reliably in maritime conditions. By virtue of its corrosion-resistant materials, improved surface coatings, and technically optimized components, the system withstands marine climates and minimizes salt water damage.

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