Showcasing millennia of Egyptian history and culture, the Grand Egyptian Museum is a monumental project in Cairo, Egypt, designed by the Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects. Home to over 100,000 artifacts spanning Egypt’s storied past, the museum is on the brink of opening its doors to the public after multiple setbacks. Recent updates offer glimpses of the structure’s progress, with photographs captured by Egyptian photographer Farida Bustani providing sneak peeks of the architectural landmark.
Sun Tower / OPEN Architecture. Image Courtesy of OPEN Architecture
As the year 2023 comes to a close, we review the evolution of the field of architecture, but we also look forward to the most anticipated projects planned to open in 2024. As Paris is preparing to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, several projects and infrastructure updates have been planned to support the global event. Another milestone for Paris will be the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, as reconstruction works near completion for the fire-damaged 12th-century monument.
The selection of projects spans various scales and programs, from restoration and expansion works such as OMA's plan for Museo Egizio in Turin, or David CHipperfield's Grand Residential Building in Belgium, to architecture developed with indigenous peoples, such as Snøhetta's Čoarvemátta in Northern Norway, cultural facilities in Asia and Europe and environmentally-conscious buildings such as Studio Gang's Hotel in the United States.
The design by heneghan peng architects, Dublin, with Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Berlin, was awarded 1st prize in the international competition for the replanning and expansion of the Old Tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The competition’s purpose was to redesign the original West Tower, which was partially destroyed during a bombing by the Allied Forces in 1943, and return it to the tourist circuit as a war memorial and exhibition space.
Cairo,Egypt's vibrant capital, is a unique synthesis of both historical and contemporary architecture. One of the most populated cities in Africa, this busy urban agglomeration has a long, rich history and is home to nearly 20 million people. Apart from the infamous Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, which have attracted tourists for ages, the city has been a melting pot of cultures, histories, and built environments alike.
The city of Cairo has witnessed many different eras, each characterized by unique architectural styles. After the Ancient Egyptians, the Islamic Period saw the birth of iconic buildings like the Mosque of Ibn Tulun and the Mosque of Sultan Hassan. These were followed by the Mamluk Period, during which structures such as the Al Rifai Mosque and the Mosque Madrassa of Sultan Barquq were constructed, boasting exquisite stone carvings, towering minarets, and intricate decorative motifs. The Ottoman era brought its own landmarks, including the Mosque of Muhammad Ali and the Citadel of AlQalaa. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, Cairo experienced an influx of European architectural styles due to colonial influences. This resulted in the construction of notable structures such as the Cairo Opera House and the Cairo Tower.
As the new year begins, we look forward to the most exciting projects planned to open in 2023. The world's second-tallest tower is currently under construction in Malaysia; Egypt is almost ready to open its largest archeological museum, while MVRDV is currently renovating a large-scale brutalist landmark in Albania. Featuring internationally renown architectural offices such as Snøhetta, OMA, Studio Gang, Zaha Hadid Architects, BIG, along with the latest winner of the Pritzker Prize, Francis Kéré, the following selection presents projects from all around the world. They also range in scale and program, from international airports to sculptural arts galleries or museum expansions.
Several projects presented here have also featured in the previous year's compilation. Resource availability and labor issues generated by the pandemic have also continued to influence opening schedules, but with a diminishing impact. Following the predicted trends for 2023, more and more projects involve the adaptive reuse of existing structures. An underlying theme is visible in the increased interest in expanding artistic and cultural venues and integrating historical heritage into the expression of contemporary architecture.
As the new year kicks off, we're taking a look ahead to the projects we're most looking forward to in 2022. With a mix of cultural and commercial programs, the designs are located across five continents, with many under construction for multiple years. Designed across a wide range of scales, they represent a mix of interconnected landscapes, museums, and new skyscrapers.
Designed by Irish architecture firm Heneghan Peng, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum devoted entirely to Egyptology is set to open this summer, sitting on the edge of the Giza Plateau, 2 km away from the Pyramids. Considered as the largest museum in the world dedicated to one civilization, the cultural complex will accommodate about 100,000 ancient artifacts, and will include 24,000m² of permanent exhibition space, a children’s museum, conference facilities, educational areas, a conservation center, and extensive gardens inside and around the museum's plan.
The National RailwayMuseum and Malcolm Reading Consultants revealed the final concepts for the new Central Hall, created by five small to medium-sized international and UK practices. Shortlisted in November 2019, the 5 teams include a collaboration between 6a architects from UK and OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen from Belgium, Atelier d’Architecture Philippe Prost from France, Carmody Groarke from the UK, Feilden Fowles from the UK, and Heneghan Peng Architects from Ireland.
The six shortlisted concepts for the National Pulse Memorial & Museum will be on display at the Orange County Regional History Center where people can view and comment on the schemes, helping the jury choose the winning proposal, to be announced on October 30.
The shortlist has been announced for the design of the National Pulse Memorial & Museum in Orlando, Florida, honoring the 49 people killed during the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12th, 2016. Established by Dovetail Design Strategists for the onePULSE Foundation, the open, two-stage international competition seeks to honor those killed while also supporting the families, survivors, and first responders.
https://www.archdaily.com/918366/high-profile-architects-shortlisted-for-pulse-nightclub-shooting-memorialNiall Patrick Walsh
Dublin is one of the world’s most beloved cities. The Irish capital welcomes over 5.6 million tourists every year from around the world, seeking out the city’s red brick rows, cobblestone streets, and lush green parklands.
Dublin has good reason for being on any architect’s travel list. Modest Georgian tenements, sensitively altered by local architects, stand alongside major civil and public works by some of the world’s most renowned international firms, while warm art nouveau and art deco cafes sit alongside the sleek, modern headquarters of the world’s largest tech firms.
https://www.archdaily.com/904358/an-architectural-guide-to-dublin-30-things-to-see-and-do-in-irelands-capitalNiall Patrick Walsh
Speaking to the Art Newspaper Russia, the head of the NCCA Sergey Perov confirmed that the project has been officially scrapped due to lack of funding.
https://www.archdaily.com/902678/heneghan-pengs-moscow-contemporary-arts-center-scrapped-due-to-funding-shortageNiall Patrick Walsh
Not all architects get the opportunity to design a museum. Between budget, scale and factors external to the field of architecture, designing a museum--and actually getting it built-- may mark the pinnacle of one's professional trajectory.
These public buildings provide an invaluable service to the communities in which they are located; from education to commemoration and (occasionally) the provision of public space, museums are "shining lights" in which architecture plays a fundamental role.
Overall & Display Winner: Fabricwood; Singapore / PRODUCE Workshop. Image Courtesy of World Architecture Festival
PRODUCE Workshop's flexible plywood "Shop-in-Shop" interior for Herman Miller at the XTRA flagship store in Singapore has been named the world's best interior of 2017 at the INSIDE World Festival of Interiors, which took place alongside the 2017 World Architecture Festival in Berlin. The overall winner was selected from a list of 9 nine category winners announced over the first two days of the event, which themselves were selected from a shortlist of 78 projects.
Dubbed "Fabricwood" by its designers, the winning space comprises a 20-meter arched structure constructed of plywood panels modeled to give the appearance of fabric. The installation was also the winner of the Display category.
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the Day 1 category winners of their 2017 awards slate. Winners selected among 32 categories over the first two days of the conference will then continue on to compete for the title of the World Building of the Year 2017 to be announced on the final day of the event on Friday.
The world’s largest architectural award program, the WAF Awards year saw its biggest year yet, with a total of 924 entries received from projects located in 68 countries across the world. The finalist projects will be selected live at the festival by a Super Jury made up of jury chair Robert Ivy, Chief Executive Officer of the American Institute of Architects; Nathalie de Vries, Director & Co-founder of MVRDV; Ian Ritchie, Founder of Ian Ritchie Architects; and Christoph Ingenhoven, Founder of Ingenhoven Architects.
You can check out the full shortlist here, and see which built and future projects took home awards after the break.
The UK’s postals service company, the Royal Mail, has launched a new special stamp series celebrating 10 buildings “that represent the renaissance of contemporary architecture in the UK of recent years,” including Zaha Hadid Architects’ London Aquatics Center, Herzog & de Meuron’s Switch House addition to the Tate Modern and Mecanoo’s Birmingham Library.