The world's most visited architecture website

The first edition of the UIA 2030 Award celebrated projects that contribute to the delivery of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Located in Germany, Hong Kong, Argentina, Bangladesh, and China, the winning interventions were announced during the eleventh session of the World Urban Forum in Katowice, Poland. Organized by the International Union of Architects (UIA), together with the UN-HABITAT, the award program gathered 125 submissions in 40 countries.

ArchDaily had the chance to talk to the winners behind the acclaimed architecture, to discuss furthermore the interventions and certain specificities of each and every project. In addition, the winning teams shared their upcoming and ongoing architectural endeavors as well as their point of view on the importance of architects engaging with the Sustainable Development Goals.

+ 7

+ 26

On June 23, 2022, the Prequalification Review Meeting of「Beyond YUE｜Jianhu Revival」Shaoxing Jianhu Planning and Design Competition was held at the Jianhui Hall of Mirror Lake Hotel, Keqiao District, Shaoxing City. After 6 hours of careful review, discussion and selection, 6 participating units stood out and were shortlisted for the conceptual planning & urban design and competition review stage of the competition from 46 valid application documents submitted by 89 international top planning and design units and firms, as well as 11 individuals.

Netherlands-based architecture, urban planning, and research firm Waterstudio.NL in collaboration with Dutch Docklands and the Government of The Maldives have revealed the design of Maldives Floating City (MFC), a first-of-its-kind “island city” that offers a new approach to modern sustainable living on the Indian Ocean. The project has been in development for over a decade, and will feature thousands of residences, floating along a flexible, functional grid across a 200-hectare lagoon.

+ 5

+ 29

The Chapel of St. Ignatius in Seattle, designed by Steven Holl Architects, has been honored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) with its Twenty-five Year Award. AIA’s award is conferred on a building that has set a precedent, stood the test of time for 25 to 35 years and continues to set standards of excellence for its architectural design and significance. The Chapel of St. Ignatius finished in 1997, reflects the ideal of the Jesuit practice, a religious order of the Catholic Church, in which no single method of worship is prescribed. Instead, the sect recognizes that “different methods helped different people.” That idea is reflected in the Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle University’s main chapel, where differences in light unify to support the worship and ritual needs of the university community.

+ 17

Ceramic fragments and figures found at the Neolithic site of Mureybet, in Syria's Middle Euphrates valley, indicate that clay and fire work date back to the 7th millennium BC. This means that dealing with ceramics is one of the oldest activities in human history. More than 9,000 years later, ceramic, and all its derivatives, has become one of the most used materials in construction, being used at different times, from structure to finishes.

+ 7

A few weeks ago, this year’s edition of the Serpentine Pavilion opened to the public. Designed by Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates, it’s an evocative project, its cylindrical form referencing American beehive kilns, English bottle kilns, and Musgum adobe homes found in Cameroon.

What the pavilion is named tells the viewer a lot more about its intentions as a spatial experience. Titled Black Chapel, it houses a spacious room with wraparound benches, and an oculus above that allows daylight to filter into the space. It’s a fairly minimal interior – designed as a site for contemplation and reflection. This minimal quality of Gates’ Serpentine Pavilion raises particularly interesting questions. How artists and architects opt for a “less is more” approach when designing meditative spaces, but also how these introspective spaces have been equally enhanced by ornamentation.

+ 13

+ 11

The A’ Design Award was "born out of the desire to underline the best designs and well-designed products." It is an international award whose aim is to provide designers, architects, and innovators from all design fields with a platform to showcase their work and products to a global audience. This year's edition is now open for early entries; designers can register their submissions here.

+ 39

Characterized by a simple structure and a gable roof, the traditional barnyard typology responds to its original function: sheltering farm products and livestock. In recent years, however, the barn aesthetic has evolved tremendously, sparking the interest of designers with its enduring rustic charm, minimalistic shape, refined ornamentation and modularity – qualities that have long made it popular in countryside hideaways. Reinterpreted to fit a contemporary style, the vintage typology has conquered modern projects that seek to offer an escape from the fast-paced, dense reality of urban life. Whether refurbishing historic farms or building new homes designed to resemble barns, architects have drawn inspiration from the industrial origins of traditional barnyards, but adding a modern twist.

+ 31

+ 46

+ 23

+ 34

+ 27