Zaha Hadid Architects has released images of its design for the redevelopment of the waterfront along the Zhedong Canal in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan District, China. The Qiantang Bay Central Water Axis project envisions a sequence of landscaped parklands, terraces, and gardens along the canal basin, proposing the transformation of former industrial areas into a green corridor extending toward the city center. The proposal adds to other recent design initiatives in the area, including Snøhetta's Qiantang Bay Art Museum, planned at the confluence of the Qiantang River and the Central Water Axis, as well as Zaha Hadid Architects' Grand Canal Gateway Bridge, a pedestrian bridge intended to connect the firm's 800,000-square-meter Seamless City masterplan on the east and west banks of the Grand Canal.
Coastal development in major cities has long been a terrain of opportunity and contention—shaped at once by the pursuit of capital (premium views, scarce land, and the promise of reclamation), by civic demands for public access and collective waterfront life, and by contemporary aspirations for sustainability and place-defining urban identity. Precisely because these agendas rarely align, extracting the full potential of waterfront sites is never straightforward.
Yet in New York City and Hong Kong, we can trace each city's ambitions—despite differing strategies, priorities, and political logics—through a set of keystone projects that anchor their coastlines. Read together, these projects reveal not only what each city chooses to value, but also what it is willing to trade off in order to build at the edge.
Commissioned in 2012 following an international design competition, Snøhetta's BusanOpera House is under construction on the city's North Port waterfront, with major works scheduled for completion in late 2026 and an opening planned for 2027. Conceived as the first opera house in South Korea's second-largest city, the project redefines the traditional opera house as an open and inclusive civic institution. Rather than operating solely as a venue for performance, the building is envisioned as a public destination that supports everyday use, collective experience, and long-term cultural engagement within Busan's evolving urban landscape.
The Nobel Foundation has revealed the first design proposal for the new Nobel Center, a public cultural and educational institution dedicated to science, literature, and peace. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects Berlin, the project will be constructed along Stadsgårdskajen at Slussen in Stockholm, with construction scheduled to begin in 2027 and completion planned for 2031. Conceived as a permanent home for the activities surrounding the Nobel Prize, the building aims to make the work of Nobel Prize laureates accessible to a broad public through exhibitions, public programs, and interdisciplinary exchange, positioning the center as both a civic landmark and an international point of reference.
Set to open on January 19, 2026, the Sydney Fish Market marks the first completed project within the broader renewal of Blackwattle Bay on Sydney's inner harbour. Designed by 3XN in collaboration with BVN and Aspect Studios, and delivered by Multiplex, the purpose-built facility replaces the former market with a contemporary structure that combines an operating wholesale fish market with retail, dining, and publicly accessible waterfront spaces. Positioned approximately one mile southwest of Sydney's central business district, the project reframes one of the world's largest fish markets by volume as both working infrastructure and a civic destination.
The State of Qatar announced on December 4, 2025, the selection of Frida Escobedo Studio, with Buro Happold engineers and Studio Zewde landscape designers, to design the new headquarters for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Intended to establish a more visible civic presence for the Qatari diplomatic service and provide public access to the Ministry complex, the project is planned for a prominent site along Doha's waterfront, transforming a significant section of the city's Corniche. Situated beside Doha Bay, the 70,000-square-meter (750,000-square-foot) project is conceived as a combination of new construction and the adaptive reuse of the historic modernist General Post Office currently on the site.
Qiantang Bay Art Museum design by Snøhetta. Render. Image Courtesy of Snøhetta
Snøhetta has been selected to design the Qiantang Bay Art Museum, a new cultural landmark within the Qiantang Bay Future Headquarters development in Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, China. Conceived in collaboration with the Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd. and Buro Happold, the project encompasses architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design over 18,000 square meters. The museum will form part of Hangzhou's expanding downtown area along the Qiantang River, serving as an important destination for art, culture, and public life.
RSHP has announced the completion of the Barangaroo South Masterplan in Sydney, marking the realization of a 15-year redevelopment that has reconnected the city's north-western harbour edge to its urban core. Once a disused container port, the 22-hectare site has been transformed into a mixed-use, carbon-neutral precinct, integrating commercial, residential, and public spaces along the waterfront. Developed in collaboration with Lendlease following an internationaldesign competition, the masterplan is organized into three zones: Barangaroo South, a high-density extension of the Central Business District; Barangaroo Reserve, a reconstructed natural headland that reintroduces native landscapes to the harbour; and Barangaroo Central, a low-density residential area linking the northern and southern ends of the development.
Isola Della Musica Opera and Convention hall by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Render. Image Courtesy of RPBW
Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), in collaboration with Sydney and Hanoi-based PTW Architects, has begun construction of the Isola della Musica, a new opera house and convention center in Hanoi, Vietnam. Commissioned by Sun Group, the project was first conceived in 2017 and forms part of a broader masterplan that reshapes the existing boundary between West Lake and Đầm Trị Lake. Inspired by the region's history of pearl cultivation, the building features a series of curved concrete shells whose forms and surfaces evoke the texture and luminosity of mother-of-pearl.
Snøhetta has unveiled plans for Jesselton Docklands, a tropical waterfrontmaster plan in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. The development reimagines the city's former port as a civic and cultural hub, strengthening its connection to the waterfront and positioning it as a new gateway to Sabah and the wider Southeast Asian region. Situated near Kota Kinabalu International Airport, the development includes a new ferry and cruise terminal, integrating infrastructure with the island's ecological and cultural context to position the city as a key point of connection within the region.
Nature Rocks masterplan for Jialeshui, Taiwan. Render. Image Courtesy of MVRDV
MVRDV revealed the design of rock-like tourist facilities and infrastructure for the Taiwanese coastal area of Jialeshui, a scenic destination in the southernmost part of Taiwan. The Pingtung County Government recently selected the design proposal submitted by MVRDV in collaboration with HWC Architects for the transformation of an area known for its rock formations shaped by wind and water, including a series of structures inspired by these natural forms. The project, a masterplan titled Nature Rocks, introduces a network of new pathways and public spaces and adds small-scale buildings, including a central visitor centre and three lookout points, within the existing built footprint.
Foster + Partners has revealed designs for a retail plaza located on the northern bank of the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Türkiye. The project forms part of the larger Tersane master plan, which proposes to redevelop 1.6 kilometers of previously underutilized waterfront. The master plan integrates a mix of retail, residential, hospitality, cultural buildings, and landscaped public spaces, aiming to enhance access along the shoreline. The plaza sits within close proximity to several of Istanbul's historiclandmarks, drawing on the area's maritime and industrial heritage. The design's scale and material choices reflect this context, seeking to align with the site's historic layers while introducing a contemporary retail environment.
Swimmable Cities is an alliance of 153 signatory organizations across 59 cities in 22 countries, supporting the global movement for swimmable urban waterways. In the context of increasing urbanization, climate change, and biodiversity loss, the initiative aims to reclaim rivers and harbors as public spaces for communities to enjoy and benefit from bathing. It advocates for urban waterways to be made safe, healthy, and accessible for both swimmers and wildlife, calling for cross-border collaboration to develop improvement strategies and collect data to evaluate "swimmability." This call becomes especially relevant amid rising global temperatures and growing inequalities in access to public infrastructure in major cities. The movement's 10-point charter begins with the affirmation of "the right to swim," celebrating urban swimming culture and recognizing the historical significance of water.
