Dear readers,
This has been an intense year at ArchDaily, and I’d like to look back and share what we’ve done during 2015, and give you a glimpse of what will come during 2016.
Our focus on the emerging countries is something intimately tied to our mission. I’m very happy to see that as a society we understand the importance of cities for the future of mankind, and that we are actively improving them through the traditional way of making architecture, but also more and more in an expanded field and in a multidisciplinary collaborative way.
We started this project in 2008 in a very instinctive way, but always understanding that we should provide value to architects. Today, we are publishing in 4 languages (including the new ArchDaily China!), reaching more than 400,000 daily readers who are viewing 120 million pages every month - and bookmarking thousand of projects on My ArchDaily. This scale has made us understand what is adding value - and what is not - to architects in a very insightful, data-driven way. Our analysis for our end of the year posts has shown us how important it is for you to have access to technology and resources than can help you on your work.
All of this has been sustained by the launch of our new publishing platform in June, a project which we are very proud of as it has been completely done in house. This ArchDaily-built platform allows us to provide a more robust structure to the information that we publish, so you can now browse projects by specific properties, browse per firm, and even see all the projects shot by a specific photographer. It has also allowed us to streamline the upload and sharing of opportunities for architects, turning our Events & Competitions sections into an ever-growing source of opportunities. As we continue to improve and refine our platform, more ways of browsing and collecting information will come, including a more structured way to peruse and upload publications, and other services that will help you in your daily tasks.
On social media we have continued our sustained growth, reaching 1.8 million fans on Facebook, more than 700,000 followers on Instagram, and 140,000 followers on Pinterest. But more than numbers, we are where architects are sharing knowledge and inspiration, and we are their companion.
Our product catalog is constantly growing, with more than 47 brands helping you materialize your inspiration.
Our Building of the Year Award programs continue to use the collective intelligence of our readers to filter the thousands of projects we feature every year, recognizing the projects that inspire them in an unbiased, decentralized, peer-based way - from young firms in the developing world, to the most renowned international firms.
In terms of coverage, we have been able to bring you valuable content from some of architecture’s top events such as the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Pritzker Prize, the MCHAP, or the EU Mies van der Rohe Award. Also, we have marked the 50th anniversary of Le Corbusier’s death, an instance where we made available new information that remained lost in archives.
As mentioned before, we launched ArchDaily China, a big bet in the middle of their process of hyper-urbanization. But we also launched ArchDaily Peru and ArchDaily Colombia, countries that are also going through interesting urban growth processes.
And we continued to travel and lecture around the world - as you can see in our Instagram - connecting with architects and students (Harvard GSD, Singapore University of Technology and Design, the Alvar Aalto Symposium in Finland), and also participating in awards programs such as the World Architecture Festival in Singapore or the WA Building Achievement Award in China. On a personal note, I’ve been invited to curate the Nordic Countries Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, an event that will certainly generate a powerful debate.
So what more can you expect in 2016?
- Redesign. We will always be working to improve how we deliver information to you. Currently, we are testing a new design at ArchDaily Brasil and ArchDaily México.
- We will continue to work on our platform, and to offer you better ways to find and collect inspiration, knowledge, and opportunities.
- Even with a new responsive design for mobile, we will continue to improve our experience to provide you with the best ArchDaily, no matter which device you use.
- Virtual Reality has opened a tremendous door for architects, and we will make sure to help you explore and take advantage of it.
- As you search for more resources, we know that learning is important. So what about e-learning? We will tell you more during this year.
Thanks again for your constant support, and we look forward to continuing to help you in 2016!
All the best,
- David & the ArchDaily Team
