In recent weeks, a series of significant architectural developments have been unveiled, highlighting the work of diverse architecture studios across the globe. These projects, announced between late September 2024 and early 2025, focus on transformative masterplans, housing solutions, and public spaces. Prominent firms such as Foster + Partners, ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, and fjcstudio are at the forefront of these initiatives. In Dubai, Foster + Partners revealed the Regent Residences, a pair of residential waterfront towers. Meanwhile, ACPV ARCHITECTS announced three projects in Taichung, Taiwan, combining Italian design with Eastern philosophies to create green, community-focused urban spaces. In Sydney, fjcstudio's masterplan for Midtown aims to reshape the city's urban core with two 80-storey mixed-use towers, enhancing connectivity and public engagement. These projects demonstrate the diverse scales and contexts in which architects continue to innovate, shaping cities and communities worldwide.
2025 promises to be a landmark in architecture, heralding a vibrant renaissance of creativity and exploration. As societies confront challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and technological evolution, architecture is both a mirror to these dynamics and a compass pointing toward a sustainable and inclusive future. This year's architectural calendar offers abundant opportunities to celebrate the discipline's transformative power — from boundary-pushing festivals to thought-provoking exhibitions that explore pressing cultural and environmental narratives.
From well-established biennials to inaugural gatherings, including the World Architecture Festival 2025, Desert X Al Ula, and the COP Climate Conference, the 2025 calendar highlights themes such as sustainability, heritage, and community. These events underscore architecture's unique ability to shape a better future, addressing global challenges while honoring cultural diversity and design ingenuity.
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has announced its 2025 World Monuments Watch, highlighting 25 sites facing significant challenges. This biennial program, launched in 1996, aims to raise awareness and mobilize action for the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. The 2025 list includes diverse locations across five continents and, notably, the Moon, representing the need to protect artifacts from humanity's first lunar missions. The selection process involved over 200 nominations, revealing regional trends such as climate change impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa and urbanization challenges in Asia and the Pacific.
In a recent interview with Louisiana Channel, acclaimed Japanese architect Shigeru Ban shared his perspectives on architecture, his journey in the field, and his dedication to socially responsible design. Known for his innovative use of materials such as paper and timber, Ban has spent much of his career creating solutions for disaster-stricken communities and displaced populations around the world.
Devastating wildfires across Los Angelesa have resulted in widespread destruction, displacing thousands of residents, and necessitating a rapid and efficient rebuilding process. Two executive orders have been issued to expedite the rebuilding process, one by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and another by California Governor Newsom, both intending to remove significant regulatory hurdles and expedite project approvals.
The demolition of Hotel Jugoslavija, a notable example of modernist architecture in Belgrade, has begun, making way for new development in the city's rapidly changing urban landscape. Constructed in 1969 in New Belgrade, the hotel was once among the largest and most prominent in Europe, reflecting the aspirations of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) during its peak. Designed by Zagreb architect Lavoslav Horvat, the eight-story hotel was a key project under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito. It showcased the modernist principles of the time, combining functionality with imposing architectural forms. Its interiors featured luxurious details, including a Swarovski chandelier comprised of 40,000 crystals, which underscored the building's significance as a flagship of Yugoslavia's international presence.
The Danish Architecture Center (DAC) will open its new exhibition, "Water is Coming" in October 2024, remaining open until March 12, 2025. The exhibition addresses the escalating global water crisis, prompted by melting polar ice, rising groundwater levels, and increasingly frequent and intense flooding. It acknowledges the reality of rising sea levels and extreme weather events, shifting the focus from mitigation to adaptation. The exhibition aims to foster a deeper understanding of our complex relationship with water, exploring its vital role as both a life-giving resource and a potential threat to human settlements.
Photographer Paul Clemence captured a striking photo series of the Bioparque Pantanal, also known as the Pantanal Aquarium, a recently completed architectural project in Campo Grande, Brazil, designed by the late architect Ruy Ohtake. Located within the Parque das Nações Indígenas, one of the largest urban parks in the country, the structure serves as a centerpiece for cultural, scientific, and ecological exploration in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Clemence's photography highlights the interplay between the aquarium's architectural design and its surrounding environment, providing a visual documentation of the project's form, materials, and spatial organization.
Maria Lisogorskaya and Kaye Song of Assemble: Atelier LUMA 2023 Lot 8 Le Magasin Electrique Photo @ Joseph Halligan. Image Courtesy of Bauhaus Earth
Maria Lisogorskaya and Kaye Song from the London-based collective Assemble, along with Lviv-based architects Anna Pomazanna and Mykhailo Shevchenko, have been announced as the 2025 Experimental Fellows at Bauhaus Earth. Selected from 120 submissions, their projects are set to explore earth as a material in contemporary architecture. The annual Bauhaus Earth Fellowship program was established in 2022 by architect Prof. Regine Leibinger. It aims to support diverse projects that explore new modes of practice across various geographies, that can contribute to ecological and social resilience. Fellows receive financial support, mentorship, and access to a network encouraging collaboration among architects, manufacturers, and local stakeholders.
Stanton Williams has been selected to design the Fleming Centre, a state-of-the-art research and public engagement facility to be constructed on the St Mary's Hospital campus in Paddington, London. Announced by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the project aims to create a global hub for collaboration and innovation in addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a significant healthcare challenge affecting populations worldwide. The Fleming Centre forms part of the broader Fleming Initiative, a joint venture between Imperial College Healthcare and Imperial College London.
Religious architecture in Asia is evolving by incorporating modernist influences while preserving its spiritual essence. Clean lines, minimalist aesthetics, and materials like concrete, steel, and glass are a common sight. These interventions often replace or complement the intricate ornamentation and natural materials traditionally associated with sacred spaces in the region. This approach allows these structures to achieve a universal appeal while still reflecting their cultural and spiritual foundations.
Several examples highlight this blend of tradition and modernity. The Cloud of Luster Chapel in Japan uses slender columns and abundant natural light to create a luminous atmosphere, evoking Frank Lloyd Wright's Johnson Wax Building. The Temple of Steps in India incorporates cascading steps that emulate the traditional Ghats, combining cultural symbolism with Brutalist aesthetics. Similarly, the Water-Moon Monastery in Taiwan employs concrete, straight lines, and reflective pools in a manner influenced by Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture. Finally, the Jetavana Buddhist Temple in South Korea and the Upper Cloister in China integrate their layouts with the surrounding stone and hillside, drawing parallels to Wright's desert houses. Together, these projects demonstrate how Asian religious architecture is redefining sacred spaces through a modernist lens while honoring their traditional heritage.
On Tuesday morning, wildfires erupted in the Pacific Palisades, one of Los Angeles' wealthiest neighborhoods. The catastrophic fire left a significant mark on the infrastructure and neighborhoods of Los Angeles, resembling a war-torn landscape by the morning of January 8, 2025. Iconic locations along Sunset Boulevard transformed into scenes of devastation, with charred buildings. Over 2,000 structures have been destroyed, displacing tens of thousands of residents and sparking urgent appeals for access to homes for medication retrieval. Several hotels in Los Angeles have been taking in displaced residents.
Following an international design competition, the winning proposal for the new Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, Serbia, was announced. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) in collaboration with Serbia's Bureau Cube Partners, the project seeks to transform the historic Milan Vapa Paper Mill into a contemporary cultural center that celebrates Nikola Tesla's scientific achievements while preserving the site's architectural heritage.
Foster + Partners has announced the breaking ground of BDO Unibank's new headquarters in Makati, Manila. The design aims to offer a climate-responsive approach inspired by vernacular architecture. The campus integrates five separate plots into a cohesive whole, featuring two high-rise towers flanking a sheltered public space incorporating lush landscaping and artwork.
The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has confirmed that the Orange Line of the Riyadh Metro, also known as the Al Madinah Al Munawwarah Axis, began operations on Sunday, January 5, 2025. Spanning 41 kilometers, the Orange Line runs east to west, connecting Jeddah Road in the west to the Second Eastern Ring Road near Khashm Al Aan in the east in Saudi Arabia. This newly operational line is a key component of the city's metro system, designed to enhance urban mobility and connectivity.
New York City has implemented the first congestion pricing scheme in the US, charging drivers up to $9 per day to enter a designated zone south of Central Park, encompassing areas like Times Square and Wall Street. The initiative aims to alleviate chronic traffic congestion, improve air quality, and generate revenue for public transportation improvements, addressing New York City's ranking as the world's most congested urban area for two consecutive years. The plan went into effect Sunday, January 5th, 2025.
Cross Works just unveiled the plans for New Tashkent, a large-scale expansion of Uzbekistan's capital, Tashkent. The project covers 25,000 hectares to the east of the existing city, located between the Chirchiq and Karasu Rivers. Designed to accommodate an estimated 2.5 million people in the coming decades, the development aims to address population growth in a sustainable manner. The initiative follows an international design competition held in early 2023, which was won by London-based design and technology firm Cross Works. Following their selection, the firm has taken the lead on masterplanning, digital twin development, and coordination of a multidisciplinary team.
Inverted Pyramid. Image Courtesy of Anastasia Elrouss Architects
Anastasia Elrouss Architects, led by architect and activist Anastasia Elrouss, has recently unveiled three distinct yet interconnected residential projects in the Kingdom of Bahrain. These designs, detailed below, demonstrate a sensitivity to both local context and environmental challenges, highlighting the firm's contextual approach to architecture. The following case studies detail the architectural design strategies employed in the Inverted Pyramid, Reef Lagoon Miniature Villas, and White Road Villas, each located in coastal areas of Reef Island, Bahrain.
General Motors and Bedrock have unveiled a bold $1.6 billion proposal to reimagine Detroit's iconic Renaissance Center and 27 surrounding acres along the Detroit riverfront. The plan aims to transform the 1970s landmark into a dynamic mixed-use complex focused on housing, offices, and entertainment while preserving the essence of Detroit's skyline. The redevelopment includes the demolition of two 39-story towers in the five-skyscraper complex, freeing up valuable riverfront space for redevelopment while preserving the city's skyline.
Buildner has announced the results of its Museum of Emotions Competition Edition 5. The Museum of Emotions is an annual international design competition that tasks participants with exploring the extent to which architecture can be used as a tool to evoke emotion.
Originally designed by Modernist architect and designer Alvar Aalto in 1971, Finlandia Hall represents one of Helsinki's most important modernist works of architecture. In early 2022, an extensive renovation project began, led by Finnish architecture firm Arkkitehdit NRT, aiming to make the venue more accessible to the wider public and create additional services while respecting Alvar Aalto's original design. After three years of renovation, Finlandia Hall officially reopens on Saturday, 4 January 2025.
Lesley Lokko, a Ghanaian-Scottish academic, writer, and curator, has been named one of the BBC's 100 most influential women of 2024. The prestigious list highlights women from around the globe who are recognized for their resilience and their contributions toward driving change in their respective fields. Lokko's inclusion reflects her groundbreaking work in architectural education, her commitment to diversity and inclusion, and her focus on addressing global challenges like decolonization and decarbonization.
As the global population continues to rise, dense cities face mounting challenges in catering to the needs of billions of people living and working in urban areas. Architects have long explored the skyscraper typology as a solution to these challenges, integrating commercial spaces and public amenities within residential buildings to create all-inclusive experiences for tenants. Over the years, skyscrapers have evolved into multifaceted vertical communities that aim to address the complexities of urban living.
Every year, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) ranks the tallest buildings worldwide, encompassing completed projects, those under construction, and proposed developments. In this updated 2024 article, ArchDaily presents a list of the 25 tallest buildings currently under construction, along with their expected completion dates. These skyscrapers showcase the latest innovations in architecture, engineering, and urban planning.
