WXCA Architectural Design Studio has won the international competition for the reconstruction of the Saxon Palace, a heritage site located in the historical city center of Warsaw, Poland, that was significantly damaged during the Second World War. The competition, organized by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in cooperation with the Association of Polish Architects, aimed to create a concept for the restoration of the monument, which is set to be rebuilt in its external Neoclassicist form of 1939.
The 2024 EUmies Awards aims to recognize the best-built works in Europe completed between April 2021 and May 2023. The selection of projects reflects the current changes within the European context, with increasing attention given to environmental, social, and economic awareness expressed through architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and design. This year’s jury is chaired by Frédéric Druot (Paris/Bordeaux), who will be accompanied by Martin Braathen (Oslo), Pippo Ciorra (Rome), Tinatin Gurgenidze (Tbilisi/Berlin), Adriana Krnáčová (Prague), Sala Makumbundu (Luxembourg), and Hrvoje Njiric (Zagreb).
Eva Prats and Ricardo Flores started their Barcelona-based practice, Flores & Prats Arquitectes in 1998 after both worked at the office of Enric Miralles. They overlapped for about one year there, from 1993 to 1994. After her nine-year stint with Miralles, Eva won the EUROPAN III International Housing Competition with a friend. The success that led to a real commission and was going to be built, served as the springboard for starting their independent practice. Shortly thereafter they won another competition. Ricardo joined Eva after working for five years with Miralles. By then they were a couple for three years and decided to start working together. Today they practice out of the same sprawling apartment where Eva’s original studio rented a room along with several other young architects and designers. Even though the office now occupies the entire space—the architects told me they typically employ ten, no more than twelve people—they keep traces and memories of the former “dwellers” alive. Curiously, Eva and Ricardo implement the same strategy in their architectural projects as well.
Rosetta Bonatti – Untitled. Image Courtesy of URBAN Photo Awards
The URBAN Photo Awards 2023 has announced its list of Finalist Photographers, marking the penultimate stage of the international contest. The finalists, categorized by section and thematic area, are presented without hierarchical ranking, encompassing a collection of over 70 single photos, 20 projects & portfolios, alongside 5 Book Award volumes selected by the jury. As the competition unfolds, the internationally-recognized World Photography Day adds another layer of relevance to this display. Commemorated annually on August 19th, this celebration strives to bridge the divide between photographers and the broader public. This year's iteration revolves around the theme "Landscapes." The URBAN Photo Awards 2023's diverse showcase serves as a fitting nod to the upcoming World Photography Day, where the camera highlights facets of our urban surroundings.
UNStudio has been selected as the winner of the international competition for the design of a mixed-use development in Düsseldorf, Germany, surpassing other internationally recognized participant offices, including 3XN, BIG, David Chipperfield Architect, and finalists Hadi Teherani Architects, HPP Architekten, and Ingenhoven. UNStudio’s proposal features two mixed-use towers measuring up to 120 meters, surrounded by a low-rise community pavilion. In addition to the office and residential spaces, the scheme also includes multifunctional uses and services such as sports, fitness, medical facilities, gastronomy spaces, a mobility hub, a daycare center, and opportunities for cultural events.
When Facebook changed its name to Meta, millions of people began wondering, "What is the metaverse?"
Put simply, it's a virtual space where people can collaborate with one another and interact with places and things. It began gaining popularity amid the waves of COVID-19, meeting a need as the pandemic drew on. Today, it looks like the metaverse is set to become business as usual.
Expected to grow to USD 426.9 billion by 2027, the metaverse is a lucrative platform for brands to develop immersive experiences for consumers. Gaming companies such as Epic Games and Roblox have already hosted virtual events, and clothing retail giants Gucci and Nike have launched interactive experiences of their own.
SAARET. Image Courtesy of White Arkitekter and K2S Architects
The city of Helsinki has announced White Arkitekter and K2S Architects as the winners of the competition to design a new waterfront cultural destination in the Makasiiniranta area of Helsinki’s South Harbor. The redevelopment includes the site of a New Museum of Architecture and Design. Titled ‘Saaret,’ which translates to ‘The Islands,’ the proposal aims to create a well-integrated development that brings together cultural and sustainable environments. It also promises to improve the area’s microclimate and create bio-diverse habitats by using the space available on the rooftops to add beehives, vegetable and herb gardens.
The Association of Arab Architects has announced the winners of the 2022 Arab Architects Awards. This year’s winning architectural projects highlight the importance of inclusive design, taking into account sustainability and designing with a sensible response to the local communities and landscapes they inhibit. The two-day ceremony was held in Amman, Jordan on November 16-17, 2022, and gathered hundreds of regional architects, urban planners, engineers, and designers of all demographics to explore and engage in discussions about architecture and the future of the built environment in the Arab region.
Four teams have been declared the finalists in the competition to design the Portland Museum of Art campus expansion located in Portland, Maine. The finalist teams are led by Adjaye Associates, Lever Architecture, MVRDV and Toshiko Mori Architect + Johnston Marklee + Preston Scott Cohen. The project includes a 60,000 square feet expansion in the form of a six or seven-story structure planned to accommodate an increase in the number of visits and a growing collection of art. The museum is now asking for public feedback on the designs, as the projects are on view at PMA until December 11th.
The Dutch firm OKRA landschapsarchitecten has been awarded the European Prize for Urban Public Space 2022 for its project to restore the Catharijnesingel canal in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Being an initiative of the Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB), this eleventh edition received 326 projects from 35 different countries showing those problems that European cities must face and proposing some solutions in the framework of a post-pandemic context focused on climate change and how to make cities more livable.
Archstorming, in support of the NGO PROVS and UNHCR, is launching an architecture competition in Mayukwayukwa, the oldest refugee camp in Africa. Working in the field of emergency architecture, the competition will be looking for designs for a new Sustainable Development Center to be built in the camp, a space where refugees will be able to carry out projects in areas such as health, education or construction. Special attention will be paid to the use of sustainable materials and easy-to-build construction techniques, with the ultimate goal of enabling refugees to use the method learned when building their own houses. You can register today here.
The tenth edition of the Architectural PhotographyAwards has announced its shortlist, selected from entries from 64 different countries. The photographs are divided into six categories: Exterior, Interior, Sense of Place, Buildings in Use, Mobile, with Bridges being this year’s theme, and Portfolio, focusing on the theme of Transport Hubs. The photographs will be displayed at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Lisbon in Portugal from 30th November - 2nd December. The winners, two per category, will be announced by the end of the festival.
Exterior perspective from Saint-Laurent Boulevard. Image Courtesy of KPMB Architects + Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker Architecture
Following an international competition, the Montreal Holocaust Museum (MHM) has selected architecture offices KPMB Architects and Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker Architecture to design the new downtown museum building. Located on Blvd. St-Laurent, the museum is scheduled for opening in 2025. The MHM chose to move from its current location in response to the growing demand for its educational programs, which tackle important subjects such as the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights. The new building will contain multiple exhibition spaces, classrooms, an auditorium, a memorial garden, and a dedicated survivor testimony room.
Bird-eye view of Dragon Tower. Image Courtesy of Dewan Architects + Engineers
The Dragon Tower in Hanoi by Dewan Architects + Engineers in collaboration with TTA, is the winner of the Global Design & Architecture Design Awards 2022 in the Mix-Used category; the tower is projected to transform Vietnam's landmark. Designed to be the longest building in the world, the 700.000 square meters complex will provide ministerial lobbies, meeting rooms, and public spaces, including a nursery, library, supermarket, restaurants, and a learning center. A water reservoir and green terraces are incorporated into the design to increase the building's efficiency and accessibility.
Architecture firm Goettsch Partners have recently won the design competition for a new eight-building complex in the Pudong area of Shanghai. The 244,500 square meter site is one of the last underdeveloped parcels in the area. The Shanghai Lujiazui Roncheng Changyi Project features two office towers, five residential towers, and a cultural/office building. The development also includes retail spaces and various amenities. Construction is scheduled to start in December 2022 and completion is anticipated in December 2025.
FLOW, 2021 / POOL IS COOL, Decoratelier Jozef Wouters. Image Cortesía de CCCB
The European Prize for Urban Public Space is a biennial, honorary competition organised by the Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB), which, following its exhibition "The Reconquest of Europe" in 1999, decided to create a permanent observatory of European cities. The prize has been awarded since 2000, recognising the best interventions for the creation, transformation and recovery of public spaces in Europe.
UNStudio has been announced as the winner of the international competition "Un Iași pentru Viitor" to design a new residential district in the historical center of Iași, Romania. For this competition, organized by Iulius company, four offices have been invited to participate, Foster + Partners, MVRDV, UNStudio, and Zaha Hadid Architects. The main challenge of the competition brief was designing a building well integrated into a complex urban environment marked by historic monuments of different ages, new archeological discoveries, and open public spaces and gardens. The winning proposal, titled „Bridging Time, Bridging Communities,” aims to offer a coherent response to the particularities of the site.
