The format for Blair Kamin’ latest book, Who Is the City For? is slightly different from typical compilations. Kamin groups his columns thematically (all 55 appeared in the Chicago Tribune, when he served as architecture critic), and then, more often than not, adds a postscript updating or reframing the story for our fraught new normal. One of the recurring themes, both in the stories and in the postscripts, is the issue of design equity. As income inequality, systemic racism, and climate change became central to the cultural and political debates, equity became the critical lens for much design criticism. In our recent conversation, Kamin advocated for a broader definition of the term.
https://www.archdaily.com/1019288/blair-kamin-on-reframing-the-crucial-issue-of-design-equityMartin C. Pedersen
Refurbishment is an increasingly common and fundamental practice in contemporary architecture. More than a trend, it represents a crucial strategy for reducing resource consumption and minimizing waste generation, providing clear advantages over brand-new constructions. In the Latin American context, this philosophy stands out for its unique characteristics. It intricately weaves circularity and climate action with local materials, addressing economic challenges while harmonizing Indigenous, colonial, and contemporary influences.
Housing plays a crucial role in this context, where traditional materials and construction techniques define each project's distinctiveness and integrate it into the community's social fabric. Throughout Latin America, regional identities are deeply embedded in refurbishment efforts, ranging from restoring facades and repurposing wood to reimagining the use of demolition waste. The adaptation of spaces in these projects is influenced by their unique identities and geographic conditions, rooted in social and cultural expressions.
https://www.archdaily.com/1019030/housing-refurbishment-in-latin-america-10-projects-that-excel-in-the-use-of-materialsEnrique Tovar
The Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is on the brink of a technological transformation, largely driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Looking forward, there are two significant ways that AI will influence outcomes for industry professionals: as a driver of creativity and a productivity booster.
Professionals who adopt AI technology for either of these outcomes may have an advantage over those who do not, enabling them to outpace competitors with more innovative thinking and quicker project delivery. Let's explore how to stay ahead in this changing technological landscape.
After a seven-year closure, Chatillon Architectes has renovated the Grande New de I’Île-des-Vannes in Paris, France. Transforming the building into an Olympic training site for the upcoming games, the renovation incorporates modern solutions and state-of-the-art facilities. Initially designed by Anatole Kopp, Lucien Metrich, and Pierre Chazanoff in 1971, the structure features a sweeping parabolic roof and striking translucent side paneling. The restoration involves adding contemporary energy solutions, structural repairs, universal accessibility upgrades, acoustic paneling, sports flooring, and enhancing lighting fixtures.
The adoption of advanced access control solutions is essential to maintaining security and safety in various contexts, from businesses and institutions to residences and public spaces. Their main objective is to regulate who can access or use a specific resource, location, or system, ensuring that only authorized individuals have access. In an increasingly interconnected and digital world, the implementation of access control systems has become essential to protect confidential information, ensure the integrity of physical and virtual environments, and prevent unauthorized access that can result in theft, data breaches, or other security incidents. These systems can encompass a variety of methods, including passwords, key cards, biometric scans, and security personnel, all working together to verify and allow entry only to those with permission.
Abu Dhabi Climate Resilience Initiative / CBT Architects. Image Courtesy of CBT Architects
As temperatures rise globally, the impacts of urban heat islands—once considered an invisible threat—are becoming increasingly pronounced and ever more dangerous. Despite this mounting threat, however, the public realm which constitutes about 30% of cities offers immense potential to provide respite from scorching heat and introduce new opportunities to improve urban resilience efforts. As global temperatures rise, cities in regions like the United Arab Emirates and India are facing unprecedented challenges in maintaining livable urban spaces.
A pivot door is a swinging door that rotates on a vertical axis; a spindle. It is different from regular hinged doors, where the hinges are attached to the side of the door and the adjacent wall. Even though the pivot door is as old as centuries are long, it is still unknown to many people. However, a recent resurgence in its use has put it front and center as an attractive option for architects, designers and homeowners.
Eastern and Southern Europe is enduring a severe heatwave, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in many countries including Greece, Croatia, Macedonia, and Romania. Driven by hot air from North Africa, this prolonged heatwave has raised significant threats for residents and has strained the cities’ mechanisms for protection and climate mitigation. As the heatwaves expose the vulnerabilities of urban infrastructures, cities across Europe are striving to implement measures to address these challenges.
Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL) from Denmark and Assar Universum Architects from Luxembourg have collaborated to design a new urban hub for Hollerich in Luxembourg. The new development aims to create a green, vibrant space with mixed uses, transforming the area into an urban destination. Harnessing the city’s distinctive topography, the design integrates a dynamic program of residential, commercial, cultural, and public spaces. The hub, named “NEI HOLLERICH,” is also envisioned as one that addresses the need for affordable housing.
The city of Barcelona and the region are preparing to host Manifesta, the European nomadic biennial of art, architecture, and urbanism, which will celebrate its 15th edition on September 8, 2024. The event will take place in twelve cities over twelve weeks, where an extensive list of participants will materialize projects aimed at reimagining the future through art and architecture.
The first edition of Manifesta took place in Rotterdam in 1996. Over its 14 previous editions across 25 years, it has visited various European cities such as Luxembourg, Ljubljana, Frankfurt, San Sebastián, Trentino-South Tyrol, Murcia, Genk, Saint Petersburg, Zurich, Palermo, Marseille, and Pristina. One of the main pillars of Manifesta is based on critical urban research, promoting the construction of communities and cultural programs with a local identity that act as agents of change. While the nomadic character is a hallmark of the event, each city works with local artistic communities, citizens, and organizations to carry out projects that address issues inherent to the location.
The 2024 Paris Olympics, officially known as the XXXIII Olympiad is scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024. The second city to host the Summer Olympics three times, after London, with the first in 1900 and later on in 1924, Paris will showcase its cultural heritage by hosting the 2024 games at iconic landmarks like the Grand Palais, Eiffel Tower, Gardens of Versailles, and La Concorde. On the other hand, the capital of France is also undergoing major renovations to its waterways with a billion-dollar 'Swimming Plan' aimed at transforming the Seine River into a swimmable aquatic route for the Olympic Games, seeking to restore its historical significance as a vibrant urban river.
With the Paris 2024 Olympics fast approaching and right around the corner, ArchDaily has curated a series of articles and news pieces providing comprehensive insights into both the built and unbuilt environments that will serve as hosts for the games.
The term "holistic" refers to an approach that considers a system as a whole, rather than focusing on individual components. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of various elements and aims to create something balanced and harmonious that supports overall comfort. The approach is particularly valuable at a time when personal well-being and sustainability are at the forefront of design. This includes the integration of natural elements, such as light and water, to create calm, rejuvenating environments where balance and harmony ensure that all design elements work cohesively to form a unified space. Holistic bathroom spaces go beyond mere functionality by engaging the senses, promoting relaxation, and using resources responsibly, a comprehensive approach embraced by premium bathroom solutions brands like hansgrohe.
Evolving urban conditions call for an evolving builtscape, and retrofits have been a key mechanism to allow buildings to adapt and respond to new needs. Amidst global environmental concerns, climate retrofits have become a popular strategy to upgrade buildings based on improved operational efficiency. Global decarbonization plans have even called for city-wide retrofits, such as in the case of London, to meet civic goals. While such upgrades significantly reduce energy consumption, they often come with a hidden cost - embodied carbon in retrofit materials and the potential for future waste.
Industrial heritage, once central to urban growth and economic prosperity, is now often neglected and underused. Around the world, various factories, mills, and warehouses sit abandoned, and their distinctive structures fall into disuse. These buildings were typically constructed from materials such as brick, steel, concrete, and large glass windows. Known for their strength and longevity, these materials make the structures ideal candidates for refurbishment, maintaining structural integrity.
It is fascinating to delve into the practice of Iván Bravo, firstly because the path taken towards his architectural work immerses us in a vast creative universe through the architect's interest and curiosity in various tangential disciplines directly reflected in his built work. A constant reflection on the methodology of the making, the processes, the pieces, the design, and the materiality converges into a noble and honest architecture.
URB has revealed details about the Dubai Green Spine project, an urban development initiative aiming to introduce a 64-kilometer-long green corridor in Dubai. The project, aligned with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, hopes to improve urban mobility and environmental quality by converting one of the city’s major arterial roads into a multifunctional public space with ample greenery, urban farms, integrated non-motorized transportation infrastructures, and community zones.
Due to climate change, heat waves are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, and they present a critical challenge for the design of urban spaces. Elevated temperatures exacerbate public health issues, increase energy consumption, and diminish cities' overall quality of life. Urban design must adopt strategies that promote resilience to mitigate these effects rather than merely replicating traditional formats that do not address the thermal stress experienced by many.
For quite some time, we have recognized the positive effects of urban green spaces, interaction with nature, water, and soil, and the associated health and well-being benefits for residents living next to parks. The significance of this matter has been further underscored, particularly in the aftermath of the panic induced by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the present moment once again highlights the influence of our urban models on modern life, now grappling with unprecedented extreme temperatures.
What makes something sacred? When does a building mean more to us than nearly all other places, spaces, objects, or activities in our lives? Architects strive to achieve the sacred in buildings, but it’s the rest of us who either sense it or not, whatever the aesthetics may be. I think the meaning of what is sacred to us can be most profoundly seen and felt when things change.
Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is one of Europe's best-preserved cities, having miraculously survived the widespread bombings of World War II. As the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague is home to over 1.3 million people and features an architectural heritage spanning centuries, covering a variety of architectural styles from Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo, to Modernist, Deconstructivism, and contemporary tendencies. The Old Town Square, where various architectural styles coexist, is a testament to this diversity. Known as the "Mother of all Cities," “the Golden City and “The City of a Hundred Spires,” Prague blends history and contemporary culture seamlessly. Its origins, steeped in legend, add to the city's charm.
Through the analysis of an innovative bamboo grid structure created using augmented reality by architects Kristof Crolla and Garvin Goepel in August 2023, we delve into the intricate world of bamboo architecture, focusing on its application in dome structures through a series of detailed illustrations that uncover the depth of this sustainable material's capabilities.
Companies, designers, architects and agencies worldwide are invited to submit their products and projects for the German Design Awards 2025. Organized by the German Design Council, the Awards set international standards for original design developments and competitiveness on the global market, whether through digitalization or AI. The platform honors only projects that are pioneering in the German and international design landscape with positive developments in circular design, making success visible, while also opening up a valuable network, international reach and additional market opportunities for the award winners.
In 1853, at the New YorkWorld Expo, a man climbed onto a suspended platform and ordered the rope supporting it to be cut. He dropped a few inches, but the safety system activated, and the platform remained stable, to the delight of the watching crowd. At that moment, perhaps not even Elisha Graves Otis realized how his invention would permanently change the course of architecture.
ICON, the office that pioneered large-scale 3D printing, has announced a new residential development of 3D-printed homes to take shape at Wimberley Springs, in Texas, United States. The complex, comprising 8 single-family homes, features designs from ICON’s CODEX Digital Architecture Catalog. The houses, currently under construction and available for sale, leverage ICON’s robotic technologies to create an energy-efficient, low-carbon construction process.
Büro Ole Scheeren’s latest project, Scenic City Towers, is currently under construction in the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base in China. This design for JD.com's new offices seeks to emphasize “in-between” spaces that blend the social fabric of urban life with nature, proposing a new model for working. Situated in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district, a booming business and financial area, the headquarters will join a community of global corporations around it.
