New Academic Building at ACT by PILA. Image Courtesy of PILA
PILA, an architecture studio based in Athens and New York, has released its design for a new educational building at Anatolia College, located in Thessaloniki, Greece. The project, which serves the institution's tertiary-level programs, was the result of an invited architectural competition. The project is part of the institution's long-term campus master plan and is intended to accommodate evolving academic needs while incorporating sustainable design strategies. The building is scheduled for completion by fall 2027 and is part of Anatolia College's broader efforts to expand its academic infrastructure and engage with the evolving landscape of higher education in Greece.
Barcelona-based architecture studio Bofill Taller de Arquitectura was commissioned to design the Royal Arts Complex (RAC) by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City in 2019. Currently under construction, the 320,000-square-meter building complex comprises thirteen structures, each contributing to the promotion of artistic expression. The project is located within King Salman Park, a 13.3-square-kilometer park being developed on the site of Riyadh's former airport. The broader development includes mixed-use projects to transform the area into a major recreational district. The overall masterplan also features a stadium by Populous, planned for the FIFA 2034 World Cup.
The Sultanate of Oman will make its first appearance at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, presenting its debut national pavilion titled Traces. Curated by Omani architect Majeda Alhinai and commissioned by Sayyid Saeed bin Sultan bin Yarub Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Culture, the pavilion is part of the exhibition's central theme,"Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective." It will be on view from 10 May to 23 November 2025 at the Arsenale in Venice, Italy.
The 2025 edition of the VeniceArchitecture Biennale is hosting a total of 65 National Pavilions. Among them, four countries, Azerbaijan, Oman, Qatar, and Togo, will be participating for the first time. The exhibition will unfold across three main locations: 26 pavilions at the Giardini, 22 at the Arsenale, and 15 spread throughout Venice's city center. The exhibition will bring together over 750 participants, forming interdisciplinary and multi-generational teams, and is anticipated to be the largest in the Biennale's history.
As one of the most important and visited contemporary architecture exhibitions worldwide, the Venice Architecture Biennale extends beyond the grounds of the Giardini and the Arsenale, aiming to engage the entire city in discussions on relevant issues, challenges, and opportunities within the architectural profession. This year's Biennale, curated by Carlo Ratti, explores the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective," inviting visitors to consider how architecture, technology, and nature intersect to shape the future.
As part of this year's event, 11 collateral exhibitions organized by various national and international institutions offer a range of perspectives on topics such as sustainability, cultural landscapes, and adaptive architecture. These exhibitions, spread throughout Venice, contribute to the broader conversation on the evolving role of architecture in addressing global challenges and promoting a more sustainable and interconnected future.
The Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) has just announced the winners of the fifth MCHAP Americas Prize award: Thaden School, designed by EskewDumezRipple, Marlon Blackwell Architects, and Andropogon Associates. Located in Bentonville, Arkansas, on a 30-acre site, the campus explores the relationship between architecture, landscape, and community within the educational context. The announcement was made after a daylong celebration at S.R. Crown Hall on the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) campus. The event featured Masterclass presentations by students from IIT and regional universities, along with a roundtable discussion with the finalists and jury during the MCHAP Symposium.
Zaha Hadid Architects has just revealed that the Shenzhen Science & Technology Museum, located in the Guangming District, has officially opened. Designed as a platform to highlight scientific research and technological innovation, the institution will explore the role of science in shaping the future. Adjacent to Guangming Station on Shenzhen's metro network, the design responds to its location as a solid, spherical volume facing the city, defining the southeast corner of the new Science Park. The museum aims to provide a space for public engagement with current developments in science and technology.
Uzbekistan has revealed the latest photographs of the pavilion for Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, after the recent opening. Designed by Atelier Brückner and realized by NUSSLI, the pavilion aims to showcase the country's vision for the future under the Expo's broader theme, "Designing the Future Society for Our Lives." Composed of modular, reusable wooden elements, the pavilion's architecture will later be reconstructed in Uzbekistan, serving as a studio, workshop, or school.
Huizhen High School by Approach Design Studio - Zhejiang University of Technology Engineering Design Group Co.,Ltd_Huizhen High School by Approach Design Studio. . Image Courtesy of WAF23
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is set to host its 17th edition in Miami, marking the event's first appearance in the United States. This year's festival theme, announced as Hearts and Minds, will explore the intersection between rational design strategies and emotional resonance. Through a series of talks and panel discussions, speakers will examine how architecture operates both as an intellectual pursuit and a sensory experience, engaging perception, memory, and affect. Scheduled from November 12-14 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida, the festival will gather architects and designers from around the globe for a three-day program featuring talks, awards, exhibitions, and fringe events. The event will highlight international practices, showcase new projects, and facilitate discussions on key issues shaping the built environment.
The Biennale promises to be a dynamic platform uniting over 750 participants from diverse backgrounds, including architects, engineers, mathematicians, climate scientists, and artists. Such a broad coalition of over 280 projects underlines the Exhibition's focus on inclusivity and interdisciplinary collaboration, an essential aspect for adaptation. The selection process proposed a bottom-up, open call approach through the Space for Ideas initiative, which ran between May and June 2024. It encouraged participation from global teams, from Pritzker Prize winners and Nobel laureates to emerging architects and scientists.
The Azerbaijan national pavilion, participating in the Venice Architecture Biennale for the first time, presents Equilibrium. Patterns of Azerbaijan. Curated by Nigar Gardashkhanova, the exhibition aligns with the overarching theme of this year's Biennale Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. Focusing on innovative design responses to the climate crisis, the pavilion emphasizes the principles of Regenerate. Innovate. Preserve. Featuring projects commissioned by Rashad Aslanov, the exhibition showcases contributions from the Azerbaijan Development Company (ADEC), Simmetrico Architettura, and Adalat Mammadov. Organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, with support from the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Italy, the exhibition will run from May 10 to November 23, 2025, at Castello 2127/A, near the Arsenale.
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia opens in less than two weeks, on May 10, 2025, and will remain open to the public until November 23. On the day of the opening, the official Awards Ceremony will take place, during which a selected international jury will confer several official prizes, including the Golden Lion for Best National Participation. The recently announced jury includes South African architect, lecturer, and curator Mpho Matsipa; Italian curator Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator and Director of the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York; and Swiss curator, critic, and art historian Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of the Serpentine in London, who will serve as President of the Jury.
At the dawn of Modernism, in the fervent search for innovative, efficient, and cost-effective building systems, the idea of modular construction offered the promise of exactly that: an industrialized system comprised of ready-to-assemble elements, easily configured, cost-effective, and quality-controlled. While the idea did not gain as much traction as was initially expected, it has remained an attractive premise for architects and designers. Now, new developments in the field have led to a renewed interest in the matter, as modular housing emerges as an effective measure in various fields, from affordable housing to emergency shelters, or even as platforms for interdisciplinary collaboration, participation, and co-design. The following article explores this promise of accessibility, creativity, and affordability that has become an integral part of the debate around modular architecture.
DROPCITY is an ambitious and open platform for architecture and design, located in Milan's formerly abandoned Magazzini Raccordati tunnels behind Central Station. Initiated by Andrea Caputo in 2018 and open permanently since 2024, the project reimagines 40,000 square meters into public galleries, production workshops, prototyping labs, and research spaces. The founder of the platform is Andrea Caputo, an Italian architect and researcher. During Milan Design Week 2025, ArchDaily's managing editor, Maria-Cristina Florian, had the chance to sit down with Andrea Caputo to explore his vision and plans for DROPCITY, the platform's connection to the city of Milan and its active architecture scene.
The 2025 iteration of the Time Space Existence exhibition is set to attract audiences from May 10 to November 23. Organized by the European Cultural Centre (ECC) in Venice's renowned venues—Palazzo Bembo, Palazzo Mora, and Marinaressa Gardens—this seventh edition brings together a diverse cohort of 207 architects, designers, artists, and researchers from over 52 countries. All contributions are curated under the theme of "Repair, Regenerate, and Reuse" as an exploration of architecture's capacity to engage with critical environmental, social, and cultural challenges. Highlights of the Special Projects section include ArchDaily's inaugural exhibition, presenting six architecture offices previously recognized as Best New Practices as emerging voices in the field of architectural innovations.
The Municipality of Venice has unveiled plans for a new 18,500-capacity stadium designed by Populous. The stadium will be built in the Bosco dello Sport in Tessera and is intended for football, Serie A rugby, and other events such as concerts. Maffeis Engineering and Populous have been commissioned for the design and engineering work by a consortium composed of Costruzioni Bordignon, Fincantieri Infrastrutture, and Ranzato Impianti, which was awarded the contract in March 2024. Soil Engineering, Seingim, and Gae Engineering are also collaborating on the project.
Path of Knowledge - Southern Branch of the National Central Library Exhibitor Name: Bio-architecture Formosana, CRA Carlo Ratti Associati. Image Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art.
The 2025 edition of Milan Design Week took place from April 8 to April 13, 2025. During these five days, the city of Milan hosted special events, exhibitions, installations, and discussions centered on the creative disciplines, including the 63rd edition of the Salone del Mobile at Fiera Milano fairgrounds. Among the numerous activities, the event serves as an ideal opportunity to introduce the latest trends and showcase upcoming pieces from brands and designers worldwide. Among the new releases and product launches, the ArchDaily team identified a selection of products designed by architects, ranging from lighting and furniture systems to materials and small objects.
On April 23, 2025, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in the Sea of Marmara struck Türkiye's largest city, Istanbul, causing widespread panic and injuring over 230 people, primarily due to falls and panic-induced accidents. Over the course of the day, at least 272 aftershocks were recorded, with the strongest reaching a magnitude of 5.9. According to an initial statement by Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya, there was no major destruction apart from the collapse of a single abandoned building. However, the event has reignited public and professional discourse around the city's preparedness for a much larger seismic event, long anticipated by experts monitoring the North Anatolian Fault.
