Back in February this year, the American architectural community was scandalised by a draft executive order from the White House threatening to make neoclassical or traditional regional styles compulsory for all new federal buildings. The initiative fails to recognise the specificity of the architectural expression and the innovation that stems from understanding the local context. Metropolis Magazine has gathered together several examples of civic architecture that succeed in expressing the needs and aspirations of their communities, thus building a compelling argument against a mandated, unified architectural expression.
Raimund Abraham’s Air Ocean City. Image Courtesy of MIT Press
For more than a century, architects have been addressing the world as a project through speculative designs in an attempt to imagine the future and reframe global issues. Globalisation, the ever-increasing interconnectedness demands action on a worldwide scale and invites a reflection on the profession's responsibilities. The latter is precisely what the book The World as an Architectural Project achieves, through a compilation of world-scale speculative projects of the past century, making a compelling case for the agency of architecture.
The recently opened Opus building by Zaha Hadid Architects brings an interplay of solid and void, fluidity and orthogonality to the Dubai cityscape. New images by award-winning photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu capture the project’s sculptural silhouette, the studio’s distinct architectural signature.
Courtesy of Archstorming HOPE Dental Center contest
Archstorming, the platform dedicated to humanitarian architecture competitions, has announced the winners of HOPE Dental Center contest. The brief called for the design of a dental clinic and training institute for the NGO His Hands On Africa, a non-profit organization that wants to address the lack of dental services in countries such as Rwanda, the chosen location for this competition.
As cultural venues and museums remain closed, one initiative launched in early April brings Frank Lloyd Wright’s most prominent projects to the public via virtual tours. Shared under the hashtag #WrightVirtualVisits, the series now features twenty-four sites, and more are expected to join as the project unfolds. With new videos published every Thursday until July 15, the project compiles an insightful glimpse into Wright’s extensive body of work.
Foster + Partners first built project in Russia is set to be completed later this year, as construction work for the RMK headquarters in Yekaterinburg nears finalization. The 15-storey building designed for the leading copper producer rethinks the conventional office space, bringing about a domestic scale to the interior layout.
CURA pods. Image Courtesy of Carlo Ratti Associati
As the global health crisis continues, architects and designers are putting their expertise, technical capabilities and research skills in the service of the fight against the coronavirus. Metropolis Magazine has gathered together a list of several companies and their different initiatives for helping out in this novel situation. From 3d-printing personal protection equipment for medical staff, to designing modular intensive care units, and researching steps for converting buildings into hospitals, the creative community is bringing its own contribution to the efforts of tackling the pandemic.
“Home” is a new documentary series created by Apple TV+ that takes viewers on a tour of some of the world’s most intriguing dwellings. The first season, spanning nine episodes, showcases how domestic architecture is being re-evaluated across different contexts and geographical areas, taking radical, innovative, and highly creative forms.
From the famous Kitchen Debate between Nikita Khrushchev and Richard Nixon to the popularity of Henry Ford within the USSR, the hundreds of factories designed by Detroit engineer Albert Kahn for Soviet Russia, and skyscrapers erected in Moscow, the Cold War had a peculiar side to it, that is the Russian fascination with American culture and technology.
With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many architecture firms to quickly transition into a work from home, designers are having to discover new ways to work without everyone being in the same room. The casual conversations, overheard ideas, and site visits that were once an integral part of our jobs have been put on pause, and have left some architects wondering how everyone else is continuing project work.
After surpassing many hurdles, the long-awaited public park and performance venue is on a set course to completion. The construction of the Little Island is underway, and new images by photographer Paul Clemence of Archi-Photo show the undulating artificial landscape coming together above the Hudson River.
The developers of Design District have released new visuals of the future creative hub at the heart of Greenwich Peninsula. Designed by a collective of eight well-renowned architectural studios, and with landscaping by Schulze+Grassov, the project aims to gather together startups, artists and entrepreneurs across many industries, generating a new creative neighbourhood for London.
Videos
CPH Shelter. Image Courtesy of CPH Containers
In this short video, Jens Thomas Arnfred and Søren Nielsen from the Danish office Vandkunsten Architects talk about wood and the many reasons why it makes for such excellent building material. The two architects discuss the sustainability advantages of using timber and reflect on its influence on our senses and mind, on our feeling of wellbeing.
In every casino, there’s much more than meets the eye. Although guests are typically only aware of what’s happening on a surface level, a casino’s ability to create a false sense of reality extends beyond the programming of slot machines and betting against the odds at the tables. It reaches far into every corner of the room and is designed in such a way, that their intentionality behind every flashing light, “cha-ching!” jackpot noise, smokey bar, and endless maze of slot machines all come together to place a bet against human psychology. They say there’s a reason why the house always wins, but what is it about the design of these spaces and the allure of the gambling table that makes visitors always come back for more?
New renderings were unveiled for Heatherwick’s first residential project in New York, currently under construction. The recently dubbed “Lantern House”, in West Chelsea’s neighborhood, will join a series of developments, expanding the High Line's facades.
It is an inevitable truth that the world population is growing exponentially. Higher numbers can only lead to a higher demand for resources, food, and housing. By the year 2100, the 7.6 billion people currently living on earth will reach, according to the UN, a whopping 11.2 billion.
This increase can only mean that the need to accommodate these people will become an urgent priority, innovating and shifting from the household system that is present nowadays. Soon enough this will be a global pressing issue.
Designed by BIG, in collaboration with Allied and Westbank, KING Toronto portrays architecture’s ability to create a community and meet the challenges faced by society nowadays. Located in Canada’s King Street West neighborhood, the project is a direct response to the context.
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