Women have played a pivotal role in the evolution of landscape architecture, overcoming the constraints of a male-dominated profession to introduce groundbreaking ideas and fresh perspectives. From early pioneers to contemporary leaders, their work has reshaped how we interact with public and private spaces, intertwining aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability in innovative ways.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, female landscape architects carved out their place in the profession, emphasizing harmony between built structures and natural landscapes. Their projects showcased a deep commitment to community and ecological balance, setting the stage for an inclusive and thoughtful approach to design that continues to inspire the field today.
Recognized for completing 36 distinct yet cohesive public projects across Mexico in just 36 months, Colectivo C733 showcases the impact of collaborative design on public spaces and communities. The 36 projects were part of a national effort to revitalize vulnerable urban and rural areas in Mexico, earning them the 2024 Obel Award focused on the theme of "Architectures With". The team behind the designs, Colectivo C733, is a collaborative group formed by the joint offices of architects Gabriela Carrillo (Taller Gabriela Carrillo), Carlos Facio, and José Amozurrutia (TO), along with Eric Valdez (Labg), and Israel Espin. In a recent conversation with ArchDaily's Editor-in-Chief, Christele Harrouk, the collective discussed their approach to public architecture, the process of integrating diverse voices, and remaining flexible to the challenges of local conditions.
Cultural centers are vibrant places where art, community, and innovation intersect—each uniquely crafted to embody and celebrate its local character. This month's projects, submitted by the ArchDaily community, showcase a diverse array of cultural spaces, from the transformation of a historic townhouse in Montreal to a dynamic creative hub in Riyadh and an eco-conscious visitor center in Tennessee's mountains. Each design offers a new perspective on what a cultural center can be, whether a hub for creativity, a sanctuary for nature, or a bridge to the past.
Superstorm Sandy inundated Lower Manhattan, causing billions in property and infrastructure damage. To protect against future flooding, storm surges, and sea level rise, landscape architects are developing an innovative mix of green and grey solutions along the southern coast of Manhattan.
These are not nature-based solutions but forms of armor. And designers are showing how this armature can be woven into the public realm, creating new kinds of infrastructure. Smart design is resulting in retractable gates and walls, landscaped berms, and raised platforms. No concrete walls separating communities from each other or the waterfront here.
The 2024 European Prize for Urban Public Space has announced the overall winners for the 12th edition: For the General Category, the "Park at the Warsaw Uprising Mound" in Poland by studios topoScape and Archigrest received recognition its ability to honor the site's historical significance; while the Seafront Category prize was given to the "Beach Improvement and Redevelopment of the Harbour Edge" in Porto do Son, Spain, designed by CREUSeCARRASCO and RVR Arquitectos for its careful integration of natural and manmade elements. Selected from a list of 10 finalists, the projects were appreciated for their sensible response to local memory and an understanding of the interplay between various elements that interact with urban life.
In recent years, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have become a significant model for delivering large-scale infrastructure projects around the world. These partnerships bring together the strengths of both the public sector, represented by governments or municipalities, and the private sector, combining their resources, expertise, and investment power. In the context of architecture and urban development, PPPs are increasingly being used to address the complex needs of growing cities, helping to finance, build, and maintain critical projects that would be difficult for either sector to accomplish alone. But what exactly are PPPs, and how do they function in the built environment? This article explores the concept of PPPs, providing examples from across the globe to illustrate how these partnerships are shaping the future of urban spaces, sometimes beyond commercial gains. Furthermore, by exploring the different projects, the article aims to develop a framework around PPPs' positive and negative potential impacts.
Over the past twenty years, the Holcim Foundation Awards has committed USD 20M to spotlighting projects from an industry-changing cast of architects, designers, and engineers who champion innovative practices in sustainable design and construction.
To better tell these success stories, the Foundation launched a short film series called 'Words with Winners.' The series includes a conversation with Loreta Castro Reguera, co-founder of Taller Capital in Mexico City, about the design of the highly innovative La Quebradora Waterpark, which received a Holcim Foundation Award in 2018.
New York-based office Field Operations, renowned for their work on Seattle's waterfront and New York's High Line, along with Toronto's Brook McIlroy, have been tasked with transforming underutilized lands beneath the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto. The project was launched by The Bentway Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Toronto, and represents the second phase of the development aiming to revitalize underutilized spaces along the expressway. The initiative set out to transform three large traffic islands between Dan Leckie Way and Spadina Avenue into an 11,500-square-meter public space for recreation and community activities.
The consortium led by the French architecture firm Coldefy, in partnership with Albanian studio Atelier 4, Sempervirens, and Italian firm AEI Progetti, has just won the international competition to design Albania's new Public Administration Cluster in Tirana. This 31,000-square-meter project will bring together over 20 government institutions under one roof, aiming to improve administrative efficiency while fostering greater public accessibility and engagement.
In celebration of Urban October, a month dedicated to recognizing the significance of innovative urban spaces, this curated selection presents 8 conceptual projects that demonstrate the transformative potential of public spaces. These projects, submitted by the ArchDaily community, showcase the myriad ways public spaces can enhance cultural identity, community interaction, and environmental quality. Conceptual projects and competition entries serve as a platform for architectural experimentation, challenging the norms and sparking discussions about the future of urban landscapes. From rural settings to layered historical squares or small-scale urban interventions, the designs engage with their contexts, aiming to improve the experience of residents and visitors, highlight the histories of the space, and ensure accessibility for all.
Each month, ArchDaily's editors select a collection of conceptual projects centered around a theme or program, submitted to ArchDaily. These projects are developed by small and large-scale architecture offices from around the world and submitted openly to the ArchDaily platform, thus forming a worldwide community of practitioners sharing their work, be it purely conceptual, a competition entry, or an early-stage design phase. Submissions are open to everybody. If you wish to contribute, send in your work by following the instructions here.
Oppenheim Architecture has unveiled the design for the College of Europe's new campus in Tirana, Albania. This project introduces the first "purpose-built" campus for the College, following its established campuses in Bruges, Belgium, and Natolin, Poland. The College of Europe, created under the initiative of the Hague Congress, is dedicated to promoting European ideals of unity, cooperation, and integration. This expansion to Tirana aims to reflect both a continuation of this mission and an opportunity for the College to establish a presence in a historically significant city.
With escalating land values in urban centers, there has been a growing trend to float public spaces from ground level to elevated locations, such as rooftops or podiums between buildings. From a development perspective, maximizing floor area has become crucial as urban environments expand. Ground-level spaces are highly sought after for retail use due to their strategic location, which attracts foot traffic and potential customers and drives city development and economics.
This financial consideration, which often guides building activities and directions in urban centers, contradicts design principles advocated during the modernist era for the benefits of better outdoor space for the public, such as the concept of 'Freeing the Ground'. Architects like Le Corbusier championed this concept through projects like Villa Savoye and Unite d' Habitation. These modernist designs envisioned a future where buildings were elevated to restore open, accessible outdoor ground-level spaces for its users. However, for the reasons above, many contemporary projects instead seek to replicate the function of public grounds within the building's structure.
Resisting an adverse context and navigating its restrictions, Grupo Finca emerges, a collective that explores the practice of architecture from an artistic and pedagogical dimension in Havana, Cuba. Given the complexity of the country's political and social situation, informal architecture is common: low resources, difficulty in obtaining materials, high costs, and a lack of skilled labor, among other challenges, are some of the obstacles faced by independent architecture professionals. Coupled with the absence of a regulatory legal framework that would allow them to work formally in the labor market or acquire materials and supplies, the construction of contemporary architecture in Cuba is relegated to independent processes that can somehow overcome these barriers.
The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. has just announced Walter Hood as the 26th recipient of the prestigious Vincent Scully Prize. Walter Hood is a celebrated landscape designer working in public spaces and urban environments. Established in 1999, this award honors outstanding contributions in architecture, historic preservation, and urban design through practice, scholarship, or criticism. Hood now joins the ranks of past notable winners like Theaster Gates, Dolores Hayden, and Mabel O. Wilson.
The team led by Henning Larsen, in collaboration with Ramboll, Cistri, Gehl, Participate in Design, and Camphora has won the commission for the master plan consultancy to design Singapore’s North-South Corridor’s surface streets. The project proposes an expansive urban transformation, aiming to integrate public transport, active mobility, community-focused spaces, and greenery along the 21.5km corridor. Local communities and stakeholders are also actively engaged in the design process through public engagement sessions. The initial master plan design is set to continue into 2026, over the next 18 months.
Naturally, a higher population density prevents the formation of ghost towns and vacant shops, which can become hotbeds for crime. However, these positive views on dense living environments often rest on optimistic assumptions about urbanism, such as minimal friction among individuals, easily maintained hygiene and a natural formation of diversity.
