OMA’s competition design for UniCredit’s new Headquarters in Munich, Germany, proposes a plaza lifted off the ground to increase public spaces and urban connectivity and to activate an otherwise overlooked area. The scheme aims to “retroactively attribute character to an area which may never have had one.” The site is located by one of the city’s main arteries, the S-Bahn, a strictly functional area lacking in public spaces or amenities. The building proposed by OMA is lifted off the ground, with its limited footprint allowing for more public space to be integrated while preserving the site’s natural features.
During their visit to the 18th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, ArchDaily had the opportunity to engage in a conversation with Sevince Bayrak and Oral Göktaş, founders of the Istanbul-based studio SO? Architecture and Ideas, curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye. Their exhibition, titled Ghost Stories: Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture, explores the status and hidden potential of abandoned buildings across Türkiye to discover more hopeful proposals for the future. The conversations opened with an exploration of the status of these forgotten structures and their hidden potential, leading into the intentions behind the exhibition in Venice and the curator’s message for the wider audience.
In 2018, OMA opened the Fondazione Prada in Milan, Italy, housed within a former gin distillery established in 1910. The project which includes a statement facade cladded in 24-carat gold leaf and camouflaged mirrors, comprises the renovation of seven buildings in the Largo Isarco industrial complex on Milan’s southern outskirts, making the foundation neither a preservation project nor a new architecture. Recently, photographer Bahaa Ghoussainy captured the infamous structure in his new architectural photo series.
Architecture studio ELASTICOFarm, led by Stefano Pujatti, has been awarded the Premio Italiano di Architettura (Italian Architecture Prize), promoted by the Triennale di Milano and MAXXI. The award, now in its fourth edition, is received in recognition of their S-LAB project, a new building in Turin, Italy, for the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN). The prize highlights works of architecture with high design quality and an attentive approach to innovation and the social role of architecture.
Neri&Hu presented “Liminality”, a multimedia exhibition selected by Lesley Lokko, at the International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. The exhibition took place in the Dangerous Liaisons section of La Biennale di Venezia at the Arsenale. In response to Lokko’s curatorial statement, Neri&Hu’s display explored the concept of liminality, the “zone” between design practice and theoretical exploration. The display consisted of three adaptive reuse projects that represent the practice’s research in “Reflective Nostalgia, Recasting Vernacular, and Ruinophilia/Future Artifact.”
The 10th edition of Passages Insolites is taking place from June 22 until October 9, 2023, bringing together artists from around the world. The public art circuit is presented by the City of Quebec and created by EXMURO arts public to showcase a retrospective artistic path through the city, recalling the event’s previous editions. The public art event takes place every summer in Quebec City in in the Place Royale, Petit Champlain and Old Port districts. This year, the event presents works of art from 40 artists, headlined by Felice Varini, who presents a monumental three-dimensional work at Place-Royale.
The Clinton Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas, has just announced a major expansion of the Clinton Presidential Center. The expansion will be designed by Studio Gang, with the aim to further the Center’s mission to engage and educate people about President Clinton’s values. Moreover, the project expansion will be further detailed in 2024, creating new essential programs in the development.
Rebuild Foundation, run by Artist Theaster Gates, is converting the St. Laurence Elementary School into a new 40,000 sq foot arts hub on Chicago’s South Side. The formerly vacant elementary school in Chicago’s local St. Laurence neighborhood has been reimagined to redeem indoor and outdoor spaces, making it a cultural hub. Set to open in 2024, the building's adaptive reuse expanded the program and the landmark into a place of exploration, entrepreneurship, and creative education.
Architect, critic, and curator Jean-Louis Cohen passed away at the age of 74 yesterday, August 7. Recognized for his extensive research in the field of modern architecture and urban planning, he held the Sheldon H. Solow Chair of Architectural History at New York University since 1994.
Cohen served as a curator for various prestigious exhibitions, including some held at the Museum of Modern Art, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine, and the MAXXI. More recently, alongside Brazilian researcher Vanessa Grossman, he curated the exhibition "Geografias Construídas: Paulo Mendes da Rocha," which opened in May at the Casa da Arquitectura in Portugal.
From the changing seasons to the users' interactions, there is almost an infinite set of facets of the architectural project that can be represented through film, and many photographers have entered into this dimension in different formats: documentaries, fixed camera, scripted performances or time-lapses, among others that you can browse in our video section.
Since pandemic-imposed restrictions have been lifted, Europe has experienced a surge in tourism, with millions of people visiting some of its most attractive destinations, such as Venice, Barcelona or Paris. The large number of visitors has proved to be a challenge for the cities, creating overcrowding and affecting the local population, urban development, and even the natural ecosystems surrounding the urban areas. In a bid to limit this influx, some of Europe’s most popular cities are taking various measures to address the overcrowding and the subsequent social and infrastructural issues. The measures include fines, entrance fees, and time-slot systems to impose some restrictions.
Drawing inspiration from the visual style of acclaimed director Wes Anderson, known for films like "Asteroid City" and “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” this new architectural film chronicles the homeland and landscape of Singapore. Directed by Kevin Siyuan, this is the second volume of “A Wes Anderson-ish Singapore” released. Moreover, the 20-minute documentary will be previewed on Singapore’s National Day and focuses on the urban planning, architecture, parks, and the people of Singapore.
The Portuguese office MASSLAB won a competition promoted by the Housing and Urban Rehabilitation Institute (IHRU, IP) for 100 affordable housing units in Lisbon. The competition aimed to integrate the new buildings with heritage values and the city’s urban fabric next to the Estrela Basilica.
AKIN has been announced as the winning team in the Barangaroo Harbour Park Design Competition, a project that will transform a central location along the waterfront of Sydney, Australia. The winning team is a First Nations-led and Sydney-based ground composed of Yerrabingin, Architectus, Flying Fish Blue, Jacob Nash Design, and Studio Chris Fox, with Arup as engineering consultants. Through its designers, the group integrates Indigenous knowledge systems along with landscape architecture, regenerative design, public art, and place-making.
Powerhouse Parramata, Sydney’s new largest museum, has been announced to open in early 2025. The museum group overseeing the project sits at the intersection of the arts, design, science, and technology industries. Designed by Moreau Kusunoki in collaboration with local practice Genton, the museum will be located on the south bank of the Parramatta River in Western Sydney, acting as the largest cultural infrastructure project in the Australian capital city since the Sydney Opera House.
The National Gallery of Victoria 2023 Architecture Commission has chosen a colossal inflatable sphere, named (This is) Air, as its centerpiece. This unique creation is a collaboration between architect Nic Brunsdon and ENESS, aiming to bring the invisible into view by highlighting a fundamental aspect of life: breathing air.
Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed the design of the Daxia Tower, to be built in the High-Tech Economic and Technological Development Zone of Xi’an, one of China’s largest inland cities with a population nearing nine million people. The tower will mark the center of Xi’an’s business district and will include offices, retail, and ancillary facilities, all designed with data analytics and behavior modeling to ensure a balanced disposition of spaces.
WilkinsonEyre has been selected to design a new college campus on the Olympic Way in Wembley, London, to serve as the new educational facility for the College of North West London. The project is designed to cater to over 300 students per week in addition to the 250 staff members. The new facility will offer classes in engineering, the built environment, and green skills, as well as digital technology, computing, health, and social care. The new campus scheme has recently been granted planning permission at the Council’s Planning Committee meeting and has now been passed to the Greater London Authority for final approval.
Urban Radicals presented a temporary pavilion “A Brick for Venice” as part of the European Cultural Center’s “Time Space Existence program during the same time as the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale. The entirety of the brick pavilion was made with mud from the city’s canals. Furthermore, “A Brick for Venice” is the first proof of concept for the team’s novel waste-based construction product.
The “Green Obsession” campaign launched by Stefano Boeri Architetti has been declared the winner of the SDG Action Awards, the most important recognition of projects that support the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. As part of the SDG Action Campaign, the United Nations set out to reward initiatives that “mobilize, inspire and connect communities in order to promote positive change.” The winning initiative aims to help improve the relationship between nature and design by implementing the principles of urban forestation. Green Obsession represents a series of conferences, public programs and a book, “Green Obsession: Trees Towards Cities, Humans Towards Forests”, published in 2021 and supported by the Graham Foundation.
In the summer of 2022, Iwan Baan completed an urban pilgrimage through the unique streets of Prague. For 7 days, the photographer photographed the city on foot, on a bike, and from a helicopter, capturing the essence of the urban fabric, from the center to the periphery and the landscape along the Vltava River. Presenting the city as a raw and often neglected entity, Iwan Baan showcased his exhibition “Iwan Baan: Prague Diary” this year at CAMP.
