Submit a Project Advertise Architonic
World
  1. ArchDaily
  2. Thomas Woltz

Thomas Woltz: The Latest Architecture and News

First Ismaili Center in the U.S., Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture, Opens in Houston

The Ismaili Center in Houston, the first of its kind in the United States, was inaugurated on November 6, 2025, by Mayor John Whitmire. Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, the 11-acre site overlooking Buffalo Bayou Park establishes a new architectural and cultural landmark within Houston's urban and social landscape. Located at the intersection of Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard, the Center builds upon a vision first outlined by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV in 2006 and later developed under the direction of his successor. Joining six existing Ismaili Centers worldwide, in London, Vancouver, Lisbon, Dubai, Dushanbe, and Toronto, the Houston Center aims to continue a global tradition of fostering intercultural dialogue and civic engagement.

First Ismaili Center in the U.S., Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture, Opens in Houston - Imagen 1 de 4First Ismaili Center in the U.S., Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture, Opens in Houston - Imagen 2 de 4First Ismaili Center in the U.S., Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture, Opens in Houston - Imagen 3 de 4First Ismaili Center in the U.S., Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture, Opens in Houston - Imagen 4 de 4First Ismaili Center in the U.S., Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture, Opens in Houston - More Images+ 17

Heatherwick Tapped to Design $75 Million Icon for NYC

Related Companies founder Stephen Ross has commissioned London designer and architect Thomas Heatherwick to design what could be, according to the Wall Street Journal, “one of the most expensive works of public art in the world.” Planned to be the centerpiece of Related’s Hudson Yards project in Manhattan’s West Side, the estimated $75 million artwork and its surrounding 4-acre public space aims to become “new icon for the city.”

Hudson Yards' Long Awaited Makeover

Subscriber Access | 
Hudson Yards' Long Awaited Makeover - Image 4 of 4
Photo: Rendering by Visualhouse

The west side of midtown Manhattan is probably one of the more unexplored areas of New York City by residents and tourists alike. Aside from the Jacob Javits Center, and the different programs off of the Hudson River Parkway that runs parallel to the waterfront, there is very little reason to walk through this industry – and infrastructure – dominated expanse of land full of manufacturers, body shops, parking facilities and vacant lots. The NYC government and various agencies, aware of the lost potential of this area, began hatching plans in 2001 to develop this 48-block, 26-acre section, bound by 43rd Street to the North, 8th Ave to the East, 30th Street to the South and the West Side Highway to the West.

The new Hudson Yards, NYC’s largest development, will be a feat of collaboration between many agencies and designers. The result will be 26 million square feet of new office development, 20,000 units of housing, 2 million square feet of retail, and 3 million square feet of hotel space, mixed use development featuring cultural and parking uses, 12 acres of public open space, a new public school and an extension of a subway line the 7 that currently terminates at Times Square-42nd Street, reintroducing the otherwise infrastructurally isolated portion of the city back into the life of midtown Manhattan. All this for $800 million with up to $3 billion in public money.

Join us after the break for details and images.