The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the 54 winners of 2019 RIBA National Awards for architecture. Presented since 1966, the awards recognize the UK’s best new construction projects. From a small rammed-stone pavilion on the site where King John signed the Magna Carta, to the vast redevelopment of one of London’s busiest transport terminals, the award-winning buildings showcase the breadth of UK architecture today.
Harlem Boathouse. Image Courtesy of Foster + Partners
Foster + Partners have revealed a new design for a timber boathouse on the Harlem River in New York. Sited in Sherman Creek Park, the design was made for non-profit Row New York. The proposed boathouse seeks to expand Row New York’s free and low-cost programs that teach young people in under-resourced communities the sport of competitive rowing, while also assisting them with their education to prepare them for higher education and a path to college.
Dutch design practice MVRDV has reopened their 2016 project Crystal Houses with a new tenant and façade. Located on the high-end shopping street PC Hooftstraat, Crystal Houses initially hosted a temporary store for Chanel. The project’s jewel-like façade was proposed as a way for Amsterdam to be home to distinctive, upmarket flagship stores without compromising the city’s historical character. Now the project has been renovated and re-opened for French luxury brand Hermès.
The Australian Institute of Architects have awarded the 2019 Gold Medal to Santa Monica-based Australian expatriates Hank Koning and Julie Eizenberg of Koning Eizenberg Architecture. As the Institute’s highest honour, the Gold Medal was awarded to acknowledge the firm's commitment to affordable housing, education and civic projects, and to tirelessly fighting to improve the situation of underprivileged communities.
During the worldwide celebration of Olympic Day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) inaugurated its new headquarters, Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland. Designed by Danish architecture firm 3XN, the project aims to bring together the IOC staff – 500 employees currently spread across Lausanne in four locations - under one roof at a single site. The new headquarters was made to further the mission of international cooperation, transparency and sustainability.
Istanbul-based SUPERSPACE has proposed a new concept for a pocketed timber observation tower in Zagreb, Croatia. Designed to be an iconic gate, the project would be sited between the old and new city. Called Ascension, the project takes inspiration from Zagreb's historical and natural iconic landmarks. Facing the south bank of River Sava, the tower's form is derived from the character of the old town's existing towers integrated with a new vertical forest.
SAKHA_Z. Image Courtesy of Atrium Architects & Vostok
Russian practice Atrium Architects and Vostok+ have designed a new learning commons and public space in Yakutsk, the world's largest city built on continuous permafrost. Sited in the Republic of Sakha, the design is part of the largest administrative-territorial unit in the world with a territory of more than 3 million square kilometers in the far east of Russia. Building in a region known for diamonds and extreme climate, the project reinterprets Yakutsk's unique culture atop the frost.
Design practice Studio Precht has created a series of truncated timber treehouses for eco-building start-up Baumbau. The concept was created by Chris Precht and his wife Fei Tang Precht as a family of modular houses that are shaped by playfulness. Called Bert, the project was conceptualized as a treehouse shaped by the forest itself. Bert invites people to experience architecture and nature through the eyes of children.
Architecture practice zU-Studio has created a proposal for a floating pavilion in Amsterdam's historic shipyard. Designed atop an old Dortmunder Ship, the project was made to be a sculptural object that creates connections between cultures. The structure is inspired by Richard Serra´s sculpture in Museumplein in Amsterdam. The pavilion aims to create a unique Dutch floating experience that brings art and history together.
Chicago-based FGP Atelier and Taller ADG have completed the new Diablos Rojos Baseball Stadium in Mexico City. The monumental project was made to be the country's premier baseball stadium. Working with team owner Alfredo Harp Helú, the project's roof takes the form of a devil’s tail to reference the home team’s devilish name.
Lake|Flato and Shears Adkins Rockmore have broken ground on the University of Denver's new Burwell Center for Career Achievement. Designed as a campus hub for the university, the project was made to be a gathering place for the extended DU community. Sited at a key nexus between the campus's traditional core and its growing urban edge, the new 23,000 square foot center combines student career development with alumni engagement and programming.
Henning Larsen and Topotek 1 have won the open competition to revitalize Esbjerg Bypark, a historic harborside park in western Denmark. The project will be made in collaboration with artist Eva Kock and engineers Ingeniør’ne. The design for the 30,000sqm revitalization aims to create a green cultural framework to reshape the city's urban identity.
The Obama Presidential Center by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Interactive Design moves forward as a federal judge tossed out the lawsuit against it. The planned $500 million, 20-acre campus faced an initial ruling from a district judge that allowed the lawsuit to proceed and stalled construction for four months. Now U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey stated there will be no halt in construction.
Japanese architect Junya Ishigami's 2019 Serpentine Pavilion is taking shape in London. A series of photographs by Laurian Ghinitoiu showcase the project and its flowing, free-form roof. Ishigami is the second-youngest designer of the pavilion, and his work is known for a light and ephemeral approach. The design for the 2019 pavilion takes the form of a slate sheet rising from the landscape of the park, held up by pilotis that form an interior field.
Bjarke Ingels Group has designed an 18-story pagoda for Tivoli's new H.C Andersen Hotel in Copenhagen. Created for the iconic amusement park in the center of the Danish capital, the project will include the refurbishing and re-purposing of the 1893 Tivoli Castle, as well as a renovation of the 1883 Panorama Pavilion. The new pagoda and refurbishment aims to continue Tivoli’s tradition of balancing old-world charm with visionary architecture.
Courtesy of Woods Bagot, Harry Seidler and Associates
Woods Bagot and Harry Seidler and Associates have begun construction on the MLC Centre redevelopment in central Sydney. The $170 million project includes four floors of retail, commercial and cultural spaces across 6,000 square meters. First unveiled in 2015, the project was designed to play on the geometry of the existing MLC tower and forecourt.
Studio Gang has broken ground on the American Museum of Natural History Expansion in New York. Called the Richard Gilder Center, the project held its groundbreaking ceremony on June 12 to kick off construction. Designed by Jeanne Gang, the $383 million Center was first proposed seven years ago. The project was made to link a range of museum buildings for better circulation throughout the campus.
NEXT architects has curated the second annual Bicycle Architecture Biennale as a showcase of buildings that transform cities through cycling. Opening in Amsterdam, the BAB shows the work of international designers from around the world and explores urban design through social, economic and environmental projects. It was conceived by BYCS as a way to inspire people to imagine new possibilities for human-centric cities.