Kala Academy. Image Courtesy of Charles Correa Foundation
A new petition has been started to save Charles Correa's Kala Academy from demolition by the State Government in India. The project has become one of the only government-run arts institution with a diverse set of cultural offerings across Western and Indian programming. As Goa’s cultural center, the late 1970's structure is a rare example of an equitable public building in India.
German architecture and design practice HPP Architekten have created a proposal for a hybrid timber office building along the Düsseldorf riverfront. Inspired by the circular economy and the Cradle to Cradle concept, the design for the project aims to show how architecture can become part of more sustainable cities. Working with developer INTERBODEN, the team plans to show how individual components can be recycled after use, non-recyclable materials minimized and CO2 emissions reduced.
UNStudio has designed a museum composed of immersive spheres in South Korea. Called the Challenge Museum, the building's massing and general site approach contrasts with urban conditions to provide restful and flexible outdoor spaces that encourage community engagement. The proposal was made to create a participatory experience for visitors where exhibition and architecture blend with nature.
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Paris Heartbeat. Image Courtesy of Zeyu Cai and Sibei Li
GoArchitect has announced designers Zeyu Cai and Sibei Li as the winners of The Peoples Notre-Dame Cathedral Design Competition. With 226 entries from 56 countries, the winning proposal was chosen by the public with over 30,000 people voting. The competition aimed to create a new vision for the future of the iconic cathedral after the Notre Dame fire in April this year. Called Paris Heartbeat, the winning design creates a literal heartbeat for the city.
A new film by Oscilloscope Laboratories and Stephen Wilkes explores photographer Jay Maisel’s move from his iconic six-story bank building he called home for 49 years. The landmark structure at 190 Bowery in the East Village of New York was locally known as The Bank, and considered by many New Yorkers to be abandoned. Wilkes tells the story of Maisel's move and documents the incredible structure that has housed a collection of countless objects for half a century.
Architecture students at Portland State University have created a new stage fro Pickathon Music Festival from apple harvesting bins in Happy Valley, Oregon. The temporary performance venue was designed and built from reused materials with collaborators Howard S. Wright, Catena Engineers, and Pickathon. Dubbed the Treeline Stage, the venue features seven towers of varying heights to evoke an orchard of trees.
Architect and photographer Kris Provoost recently captured new photos of OPEN Architecture's Tsinghua Ocean Center in China. Designed as a laboratory and office building for the newly established deep-ocean research base of Tsinghua University, the project is located at the eastern end of Tsinghua graduate school campus in Shenzhen Xili University Town next to the main campus entrance. Provoost's images reveal details throughout the construction and showcase the project in its larger context.
Good Neighbor. Image Courtesy of Department Design Office
The Van Alen Institute and the City of North Miami have announced Department Design Office as the winner of the KEEPING CURRENT competition. The team has been awarded $80,000 to transform a flood-prone lot in North Miami into a community space and storm water management site. The competition aims to reduce the cost of flood insurance, reinvigorate underused communal areas, and promote climate consciousness.
West 8 has won the competition to revitalize the Middle Branch Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland. The design competition managed and developed by the Parks & People Foundation on behalf of the City of Baltimore and facilitated in coordination with community-based organizations. Working with local partners Mahan Rykiel and Moffatt & Nichol, the team aims to recreate and redefine the blue green heart of Baltimore.
Monograph recently released a data-driven starchitect ranking to show how popular famous architects are. Created by digital product designer Moe Amaya and Monograph's data team, the project utilizes the STAR system ranking algorithm to determine the relative popularity and value of an architect's brand.
Pavillon Notre-Dame. Image Courtesy of Brick Visual
Architecture firm Gensler has unveiled a design for a temporary worship pavilion at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Set to be located in Parvis Square, the temporary structure would be constructed primarily out of charred timber for added strength and durability. The proposal comes after the Notre Dame fire in April this year. The Pavillon Notre-Dame was designed to offer hope to Parisians and international visitors while the 850-year-old cathedral is being restored.
Blagoveshchensk Cable Car. Image Courtesy of PYXID
UNStudio has won the competition to design the world's first cross-border cable car to carry passengers across the Amur River connecting Russia and China. The Cable Car Terminal is designed as an expression of the historic connection between the two cities of Blagoveshchensk and Heihe. The new cable car line aims to become an engine for creating social connections between the two cultures and will connect the cities in less than 10 minutes.
LA Clippers Arena. Image Courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers, AECOM
AECOM has unveiled a new design for a "basketball net-inspired" 900,000-square-foot arena for the LA Clippers in Inglewood. Working with Anderson Barker Architects, the City Design Studio of Los Angeles, and Hood Studios, the team's proposal includes a solar panel tile cladding system around the building and sunken basketball court. The project's facade was designed to symbolize the diamond shapes in a basketball net.
Spring Street Hotel. Image Courtesy of Adam Sokol Architecture Practice (ASAP)
Adam Sokol Architecture Practice (ASAP) have revealed the design for a hotel tower made to be a piece of urban geology in downtown Los Angeles. Called the Spring Street Hotel, the project is designed to capitalize on the accelerating growth and development of the downtown LA area. Situated in the core historic district of downtown, the tower aims to build on its distinctive location and cultural context to create a landmark destination for the city.
Kengo Kuma & Associates have proposed a new 40-story mixed-use skyscraper incorporating a historic Gothic Revival facade in Seattle. Located in the Belltown neighborhood, the project would reuse the ornate five-story Bebb & Gould’s Terminal Sales Annex facade. Made in collaboration with Ankrom Moisan Architects and the landscape architecture firm Berger Partnership, the project aims to reinforce the Gothic and Art Deco heritage of Seattle’s downtown.
Bar producer Makr Shakr has unveiled new rooftop robotic bars in Milan and London. Founded by MIT professor Carlo Ratti, the company's new projects are made to engage with the city and explore the potential of technology. In Milan, the project is the city's first robotic bar, while the London bar is on display at the Barbican as part of its AI: More than Human exhibition. Makr Shakr's bars aim to combine barman roots with food tech around the future of human-machine collaboration.
Foster + Partners have won the international competition to design the new Bilbao Fine Arts Museum in Spain. The winning proposal was revealed by the president of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum Foundation Board. The revitalization will turn Plaza Arriaga into the new heart along the museum’s spine. The proposal seeks to reorient the museum towards the city by restoring the façade of the existing building and making it more permeable, while enhancing the institution’s unique identity.
Designer Honglin Li has created a proposal for a waste-to-energy skyscraper in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Called FILTRATION, the project was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2019 eVolo Skyscraper Competition. The modular, prefabricated megastructure contains several Material Recovery Facilities and Water Treatment Plants to recycle the floating garbage and clean seawater while taking on the world energy crisis.