In the US, pumpkins are the ultimate symbol of fall – from autumn holiday centerpieces to Thanksgiving pies to those infamous spiced lattes, the loveable gourd is near inescapable the time October rolls around. But using carved pumpkins as a building material? Now that is the sign of a true Halloween fanatic.

Since 2005, the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze has been doing just that to create dazzling displays on the grounds of Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. The event goes through more than 10,000 pumpkins (weighing 200,000 pounds!) each season to create environmental, intractable structures and sculptures inspired by the land art works of artists such as Michael Heizer, Robert Smithson, Donald Judd, and Andy Goldsworthy.

Each year, the event has grown, inspiring bigger and more daring constructions. New pieces for this year include a Pumpkin Statue of Liberty, a 20-foot Pumpkin Carousel and a Plus-Sized Pumpkin Planetarium. Check out some images of the event below!

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The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has unveiled new renderings and drawings for their $600 million transformation designed by Atelier Peter Zumthor, as an environmental impact report for the project has been released.

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The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida has announced plans for the first-ever public garden designed by Foster + Partners as part of their $100 million expansion project. To feature a variety of native sub-tropical plantings and gathering spaces, the garden is envisioned as “a new social space for the community.”

“From the beginning, we have conceived of the Norton expansion as an opportunity to create a New Norton—one that embraces its original design, while also creating a more welcoming and inviting campus,” said Lord Norman Foster.

“In our masterplan, it was important for us to define the Norton’s sense of place—in this case Florida’s lush subtropics. To do so, we conceptualized a museum within a garden. We are creating verdant spaces for art and programming that extends the museum beyond its walls.”

Just one month after the Thomas Heatherwick-designed Pier 55 project in New York City was declared dead in the water, opposing parties seem to have come to an agreement that will allow the project to continue, thanks to the intervention of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The World Architecture Festival, with co-curators Make Architects and the Sir John Soane’s Museum, has announced the winner of the their inaugural Architecture Drawing Prize, established to recognize the “continuing importance of hand drawing, whilst also embracing the creative use of digitally produced renderings.”

From 166 entries from architects, designers and students across the globe, 38 of the best drawings were shortlisted within three categories: Digital, Hand-drawn, and Hybrid. From that list, commendations and a category winner were chosen, with the overall grand prize awarded to the year’s best drawing. Submissions were evaluated on technical skill, originality in approach and ability to convey an architectural idea, whether for a conceptual or actual building project.

This year, the overall winner was Momento Mori: a Peckham Hospice Care Home by Jerome Xin Hao Ng, produced as part of Ng’s final diploma project at The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.

“[The drawing is] a superbly conceived and executed perspectival view looking down through the building from roof level, praised for its technical skill and the sensitivity with which it depicted the spaces found in such institutions as settings for multi-generation social interaction,” said Jeremy Melvin, Curator of World Architecture Festival (WAF).

The 2017 World Architecture Festival will take place in Berlin from November 15-17. Learn more about the Festival and purchase delegate passes here. Use the discount code ARCHDAILY17 to receive 20% off. An incredible list of speakers including Alison Brooks, Charles Jencks, Pierre de Meuron and Francis Kéré will feature across 3 days from November 15th to 17th at the Arena Berlin, Germany. Conferences, city tours, lectures and critiques of the shortlisted projects from the 2017 WAF awards are among the events scheduled for the festival.

See the winners and shortlisted drawings below.

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Videos

Materials researchers from the Block Research Group at the ETH Zurich, together with architects supermanoeuvre, have revealed a prototype for an ultra-thin, sinuous concrete roof system with an average thickness of just 5 centimeters. Using digital design and fabrication technologies, the team was able to calculate and construct a self-supporting shell structure using the minimal necessary material. This was facilitated through the use of a novel formwork system consisting of a net of steel cables and a polymer fabric stretched into a reusable scaffolding structure.

The team of Snøhetta (design architect), Clark Nexsen (architect-of-record) and brightspot strategy (community engagement and space programming) has been selected to design the new Main Building for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina.

The team will work to incorporate the creative vision created by the library and its community through a multi-year planning process. Envisioned as a “public commons,” the building will aimed at becoming a catalyst for urban revitalization, becoming a new hub of culture, education and community connection for the city.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced ambitious plans to build a $500 billion technological megacity “the size of a country” that will be run entirely of renewable energy sources. Known as NEOM, the innovation hub will cover a 10,232-square-mile (26,500-square-kilometer) area in the northwest of the country along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba. The city is planned to extend into neighboring Egypt and Jordan, making it the first private zone to span three countries.

The World Monuments Fund has announced their 2018 World Monuments Watch, highlighting 25 cultural sites from across the globe currently at risk due to economic, political or natural threats. Covering more than 30 countries and territories, these monuments represent sites of exceptional cultural value dating from prehistory to the 20th century.

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Update 10/24/17: We've added an updated rendering to the post!

Herzog & de Meuron, with landscape architects Piet Oudolf and LOLA landscape architects, have revealed plans for a new residential development in the Stockholm neighborhood of Hjorthagen that will repurpose a series of historic gasholders. The project will represent HdM’s first built project in Sweden.

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The first in a new generation of Apple stores has opened in the heart of Chicago. Designed by Foster + Partners, Apple Michigan Avenue employs the tech giant’s “Town Square” concept, which subverts the typical retail experience in favor of a community-inclusive approach.

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Now open to residents, the first photos of the lobby and amenity spaces at Zaha Hadid Architects’ New York residential tower, 520 West 28th Street, have been revealed by developer Related Companies. Rising 11 stories next to the High Line in West Chelsea, the building houses 39 bespoke residences, interiors of which were revealed for the first time earlier this year.

Now, the building’s spectacular common spaces are complete, including a 75-foot-long skylight-lit pool; an entertainment lounge with complete kitchen; a fully equipped gym; a 24-hour juice bar; and a spa suite containing a hot tub, rain showers, treatment beds, a plunge pool, sauna and steam room. But perhaps the most unique feature is the 12-seat IMAX theaters, one of the first private IMAX theaters in the world. The space will be able to be reserved by residents for film watching, parties or video game tournaments.

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One of New York City’s original skyscrapers and the former largest office building in the world, the Equitable Building, is set to receive a $50 million renovation and restoration that will bring the historic structure up to 21st century standards.

Built in 1915 in New York’s Financial District by architect Ernest R. Graham, the 1.9-million-square-foot Equitable Building was a pioneer in the city’s skyscraper boom, spanning an entire Broadway block between Pine and Cedar Streets. A simple extrusion of the site footprint, the building was notorious for its overbearing relationship to the street – outcry over which eventually led to the creation of the city’s famous setback zoning laws.

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New renderings have been revealed of Jean Nouvel’s first Miami project, Monad Terrace, as construction begins on site. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel in collaboration with Kobi Karp, the highrise project is set to rise on West Avenue in the premier South Beach district of Miami Beach, setting a new standard of building integrity and climate resilience for the city.

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Pavilion designs by three emerging architecture practices have been chosen as finalists in the inaugural Hong Kong Young Architects & Designers Competition. Established by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), the competition is the first of its kind in Hong Kong, aimed at “showcasing the creativity and potential of local architects and designers still in the early stages of their careers.”

A total of 320 entries were received from Hong Kong residents who either have been practicing for fewer than 10 years or who are currently studying architecture at the university level. The competition asked designers to envision a temporary pavilion that will be built inside the Nursery Park at the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto have revealed plans for a brand new community on Toronto’s Eastern Waterfront that will bring together “forward-thinking urban design and new digital technology to create people-centred neighbourhoods that achieve precedent-setting levels of sustainability, affordability, mobility, and economic opportunity.”

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Adjaye Associates has unveiled designs for SPYSCAPE, a new museum and interactive experience that illuminates the world of espionage from historical secret intelligence to modern day hacking through a collection of rare artifacts, exhilarating storytelling and immersive personalized experiences.

Located a stone’s throw from Times Square in New York City, the 60,000-square-foot space will use architecture as a key element of the museum experience. Inspired by the spaces occupied by the world’s most significant spy organizations, the building interiors will resemble a small town, with a variety of spaces unfolding beneath a vaulted canopy. Circulation will lead visitors through a wide range of vantage points and perspectives, playing with perceptions and drawing you into the individual pavilions.

Hariri Pontarini Architects and Pinnacle International have unveiled the design of three glassy skyscrapers that will make up a new development on the Toronto waterfront.

Known as One Yonge, the complex will consist of over 4 million square feet of mixed-use space spread across five new buildings and a total renovation of the existing Toronto Star building.

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