The office building typology emerged from the need to unite thousands of people within a relatively strict working environment. In major cities, these structures clustered into Central Business Districts (CBDs), which became dedicated neighborhoods accommodating commerce and businesses. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this model, leading to the rise of remote and hybrid work. Now, nearly four years later, occupancy rates in these urban centers remain lower than pre-pandemic levels, signaling a long-term shift in the work environment. To address this challenge, developers have been increasingly looking into “repositioning” their projects, seeking to redefine their image by adapting them to contemporary demands. This typology considers the surrounding urban fabric, aiming to expand the building’s use beyond its original purpose and attract people back to the CBDs.
On October 23, 2023, during the closing of the Line Exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ArchDaily’s Editor in Chief, Christele Harrouk spoke to Tarek Qaddumi, Executive Director of The Line Design at NEOM, asking questions that probe into both the conceptual aspects and the technicalities of The Line project. In this video interview, the conversation addresses notions such as accessibility, transportation, and sustainability, while also exploring the concept of Cognitive Cities and the intended phasing of the project.
https://www.archdaily.com/1019840/building-the-line-as-a-three-dimensional-city-in-conversation-with-tarek-qaddumi-executive-director-of-the-line-design-of-neomArchDaily Team
To take advantage of the historic heritage of the city of Paris while also minimizing the impact of the Olympics, the Paris 2024 Games are organizing a set of temporary arenas and installations to host several key competitions, only to be disassembled after the games' closing. Only one sports venue has been built specifically for the 2024 Olympic Games, the Aquatics Centre Paris, as the city aims to use its existing sporting infrastructure to the maximum, ensuring a smaller footprint compared to previous editions. In addition to the established venues, key temporary sites include the Trocadéro, Eiffel Tower, Champ-de-Mars, Esplanade des Invalides, Pont Alexandre III, Place de la Concorde, and Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, with additional stands along the Seine for the Opening Ceremony.
The assembly and disassembly of these temporary sites will follow a step-by-step approach to minimize disruption. Geographical phasing will preserve traffic lanes and access to public spaces, while time phasing will gradually activate and deactivate competition perimeters to limit construction impact and quickly restore spaces post-Games. These measures align with Paris 2024's commitment to organizing responsible and respectful Games and preserving the city's urban and natural heritage.
As part of a wider design-led revitalization process, Türkiye Design Council has announced a new urban plan for the revitalization of Antakya and the wider Hatay province in Türkiye, an area heavily affected by the Türkiye-Syria earthquake on 6 February 2023. The master plan has been developed by Foster + Partners, Buro Happold, MIC-HUB, along with Turkish practices DB Architects, and KEYM Urban Renewal Centre. The plan covers a 30-square-kilometer area of Antakya, the capital district of Hatay, and an important urban center of antiquity known as Antioch. Eight design principles have been outlined to guide the rebuilding efforts in an attempt to maintain the spirit of the city, which suffered extensive damages estimated at 80 percent.
New York City’s skyline tells the tale of the region’s dated relationship with architectural innovation and style. Among the many materials that cloak the city’s built environment, terracotta has a distinct significance. The clay-based material was a prominent feature in buildings from the late 1800s to the 1920s and, after a brief pause, is experiencing a resurgence with contemporary design. The revival pays homage to The Big Apple’s architectural heritage while leading a movement for sustainable materials in the city.
CityMakers, The Global Community of Architects Who Learn from Exemplary Cities and Their Makers, is working with ArchDaily to publish a series of articles about Barcelona, Medellin, and Rotterdam. The authors are the architects, urban planners, and/or strategists of the projects that have transformed these three cities, which are visited in the "Schools of Cities" and studied in the "Documentary-Courses" made by CityMakers. On this occasion, Alejandro Restrepo Montoya, Director of Urban Planning and Architecture of Medellín, presents his article "Environmental Urbanism and Urban Geographies, Medellín 2024-2027"
Medellín's urban plan focuses on answering how urban planning can improve people's quality of life. By developing its proposal, the city is promoting the social benefits that these urban planning practices can generate. Medellín emphasizes the use of natural and environmental conditions, such as valleys, streams, rivers, mountains, and hills, to develop urban planning criteria that address social needs.
Chicago's urban history is a dynamic saga of innovation, resilience, and architectural prowess. From its early days as a bustling trade hub on Lake Michigan's shores to its transformation into a global metropolis, the Windy City has continually reinvented itself. Iconic events like the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 catalyzed a wave of architectural ingenuity and today, contemporary architects like the city’s own Jeanne Gang and SOM continue to shape its skyline with groundbreaking designs, while sustainable projects and adaptive reuse of historic buildings showcase the city's commitment to blending heritage with forward-thinking urban development. Whether it's the sleek Aqua Tower or the vibrant Riverwalk, Chicago continues to stand as a testament to the endless possibilities of urban innovation and design.
One of the city's most notable achievements is its role as the birthplace of the skyscraper. In the late 19th century, architects like Louis Sullivan and Daniel Burnham pioneered the use of steel-frame construction, allowing buildings to reach unprecedented heights. This innovation not only transformed Chicago's skyline, but also set a precedent for urban centers worldwide, positioning the city as a global leader in architectural design.
Abu Dhabi Climate Resilience Initiative / CBT Architects. Image Courtesy of CBT Architects
As temperatures rise globally, the impacts of urban heat islands—once considered an invisible threat—are becoming increasingly pronounced and ever more dangerous. Despite this mounting threat, however, the public realm which constitutes about 30% of cities offers immense potential to provide respite from scorching heat and introduce new opportunities to improve urban resilience efforts. As global temperatures rise, cities in regions like the United Arab Emirates and India are facing unprecedented challenges in maintaining livable urban spaces.
URB has revealed details about the Dubai Green Spine project, an urban development initiative aiming to introduce a 64-kilometer-long green corridor in Dubai. The project, aligned with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, hopes to improve urban mobility and environmental quality by converting one of the city’s major arterial roads into a multifunctional public space with ample greenery, urban farms, integrated non-motorized transportation infrastructures, and community zones.
Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is one of Europe's best-preserved cities, having miraculously survived the widespread bombings of World War II. As the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague is home to over 1.3 million people and features an architectural heritage spanning centuries, covering a variety of architectural styles from Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo, to Modernist, Deconstructivism, and contemporary tendencies. The Old Town Square, where various architectural styles coexist, is a testament to this diversity. Known as the "Mother of all Cities," “the Golden City and “The City of a Hundred Spires,” Prague blends history and contemporary culture seamlessly. Its origins, steeped in legend, add to the city's charm.
This article is the tenth in a series focusing on the Architecture of the Metaverse. ArchDaily has collaborated with John Marx, AIA, the founding design principal and Chief Artistic Officer of Form4 Architecture, to bring you monthly articles that seek to define the Metaverse, convey the potential of this new realm as well as understand its constraints. In this feature, architect John Marx questions the limits and capabilities of AI in architecture and in creating buildings that resonate deeply with people and communities.
Over the years, the nocturnal landscape of cities has witnessed a significant transformation, marked by the emergence of more than 80-night mayors globally, a trend that has been on the rise since the early 2000s. Andreina Seijas, currently working as an Associate at Gehl, has analyzed these shifting dynamics of night-time governance in her research and during her doctoral studies at Harvard GSD. Seijas speaks in the interview about this development, challenges, and opportunities with night mayors, global differences, and the role of climate change. Seijas' upbringing in Caracas, Venezuela, where safety concerns dictated strict curfews, ignited her passion for creating safer, more inclusive urban environments, particularly for the youth. Her quest for a better future for the urban night explores the potential for cities to become safer, more inclusive, and more productive by creating spaces for work and leisure after dark.
His work – more than 250 buildings in the span of 30 years – was lauded by critics and colleagues, cited for international design awards, and landed the architect on the cover of Time. But today, even practitioners and aficionados might be challenged to name one of Minoru Yamasaki's buildings beyond his two most infamous creations that no longer exist: the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis and New York’s World Trade Center towers. Paul Kidder explores this complex architect and his work in a new book, Minoru Yamasaki and the Fragility of Architecture (Routledge).
Kidder, a professor of philosophy at Seattle University, provides a fresh, sobering assessment not only of Yamasaki's architecture but the man himself: his challenges, triumphs, and contradictions, as well as the fragility of architectural achievement. The loss of this architect’s most famous buildings suggests the growing scope of architecture’s fragility, especially today, when real-estate investment often augers against preservation of even late-modern works. Yet, paradoxically, Yamasaki believed that fragility could be a desirable architectural quality—the source of its refinement, beauty, and humanity.
Located in Mexico City, the municipality of Iztapalapa has some of the most densely populated areas within the metropole. Serving a population of 1,800,000 people, many of them with lower incomes, the municipality struggles to provide sufficient public spaces and amenities. In an effort to correct this, the administration set out to take underutilized and abandoned plots of land and transform them for public use. Utopia Estrella is one of these initiatives. Located near Mexico City’s largest water treatment plant, the project combines a socially engaging architectural program with a pedagogical approach to the role of water infrastructures in the larger ecosystem. Designed by Cano Vera Arquitectura, the project has been recognized as the Gold Prize Winner of the Holcim Awards 2023 for Latin America. In a video interview for ArchDaily, Juan Carlos Cano of Cano Vera Arquitectura discusses the impact of this project, its goals, and the unique conditions that led to its development.
Cities constantly undergo infinite changes, leaving many spaces within the urban fabric forgotten and unused. Historic buildings are refurbished, and adaptive reuse explores new possibilities, but what happens with public spaces? Small interventions using simple resources and innovative solutions are the perfect way to bring these neglected alleys, plazas, and highways back to life and reincorporate them into the city.
Architectural competitions are valuable learning tools, offering architects a unique opportunity to experiment and expand their creative boundaries. By engaging with real-world challenges and receiving critical feedback, participants gain practical experience and a deeper understanding of the profession. Whether conceptual or not, competitions foster innovation, encouraging design professionals to think outside the. This week's curated selection showcases winning competition entriessubmitted by the ArchDaily community, providing architects and architecture students with new perspectives and inspiration for their own practice, be it diploma projects, professional licensing, or commissions.
From an immersive urban park in Seoul, South Korea, to a rural education campus in the Amazon, or a reimagined port in Corsica, this selection highlights projects that have stood out in competitions from around the world. While some of the proposals have been developed by established firms, including KAAN Architecten, ArchiWorkshop, Studio Akkerhuis, or Richez Associés, these competitions have also proven to be an opportunity for emerging designers to showcase their creativity and problem-solving abilities
As part of public ‘open house’ sessions with local communities and agencies, Foster + Partners and Arup have revealed the design for the first 4 stations of California’s High-Speed Rail. This is part of an extensive project, as the new Central Valley stations will serve as models for the design of the next stations planned along the 500-mile-long Los Angeles/Anaheim to San Francisco rail system. The open house sessions represent an opportunity for the public to explore the project, talk with California High-Speed Rail Authority planning experts, and learn more about the high-speed rail infrastructure. The project is under construction, with the first operable line scheduled to be completed between 2030 and 2033.
Evolving theories in urban design seek to reframe how cities are built and experienced. As theory and practice grows more empathetic towards the needs of its diverse stakeholders, queer urban design brings a broad and holistic shift to understanding identity and community in publicly inhabited spaces. The approach challenges traditional - often rigid - methods of city planning by applying principles of queer theory to reflect fluidity and interconnectedness. On occasion of Pride Month 2024, ArchDaily investigates the building blocks of "queer urban design" to influence city planning practices to be more inclusive.
