Mario Cucinella Architects has started constructing two multifunctional towers to shape Vienna’s skyline. Situated in the 2nd district in Vienna, where a dynamic urban development “Viertel Zwei”, has been in the works for some time, the project consists of two highrises, both of different architectural languages and made for different purposes, together providing a complex urban image inserted into context.
There are several constructive technologies to configure the structural system of a building. From the 1960s onwards, the adoption of techniques that enabled the interaction between different materials became increasingly common, diversifying the design language and seeking the main advantages each element has to face certain situations. Over the years, some mix concrete, wood, stones or steel.
For the past year, I have been in conversation with architects and designers who are involved in the creation of immersive environments. They see themselves as naturally responsible for leading the construction of these environments, and this should serve as a reminder that architects have the potential to take on this role.
Despite how obvious it might sound, the metaverse has mostly been designed by developers and graphic designers, Therefore, it should work as a wake-up call for architects to be involved since they have skills particularly apt for it.
Whether the metaverse can be utilized as a narrative to claim a changing role for architects remains to be seen, but 2023 could be the year.
This article was originally published on Common Edge.
In 2018, the Roman neighborhood of San Lorenzo hit the headlines when a young girl was found dead in a derelict building. The media focused on the area’s decline, ignoring its long political and cultural history. Known as a “red” territory, San Lorenzo was one of the few districts to resist Mussolini’s 1922 March on Rome. Built in the late 19th century to house a working-class population of artisans as well as rail and factory workers, there’s a gritty feel to the neighborhood, defined by remnants of its industrial past and buildings that still bear the scars of Allied bombing in World War II. This small, centrally located neighborhood is wedged between Termini, the main train station, Verano, the monumental cemetery opened in 1812, and the Città Universitaria La Sapienza (La Sapienza University).
Switzerland’s project for its national pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition–La Biennale di Venezia will be curated by Karin Sander and Philip Ursprung to explore territorial relationships within the Giardini of La Biennale. Titled “Neighbours,” their project is focused on the spatial and structural proximity between the Swiss Pavilion and its Venezuelan neighbor. By turning architecture itself into the exhibit, the project also highlights the bond between the architects of the two structures: the Swiss Bruno Giacometti (1907 - 2012) and the Italian Carlo Scarpa (1906 - 1978). The exhibition will be on display from May 20 to November 26, 2023.
The hosts and producers of the Uncertain Things podcast, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, and Vanessa M. Quirk, conduct interviews with experts with a variety of experiences to answer the question, “Now what? How did we get here and what is next?”. In this episode with Michael Kimmelman, they touch upon many interesting subjects, namely, The New York Times institution and its evolution, Kimmelman’s new book the Intimate City, and our overall understanding of communities in cities.
Artificial lighting offers a range of strategies for interior design. Widely used in commercial projects and restaurants as an aesthetic device to attract customers and to create environments that stimulate the senses, it can transform rooms and create cozy and well-lit places in residential projects.
In the contemporary context, as has been said a multitude of times, we seem to be living in what is classified as a digital age. A worldwide pandemic has enhanced the popularity of digital avenues to communicate — such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, and the multiplatform messaging app WhatsApp is reported to have over 2 billion active users. From an environmental standpoint, we see the migration of businesses to the “cloud” heralded as a sustainability win. In simplified terms and to pick out a specific example, companies can refrain from storing data on external hard drives, opting instead to store their data on online file hosting services.
US-based architecture firm Populous has unveiled the design of a new multipurpose stadium in Indianapolis, US, planned to serve as the new home for the Indy Eleven professional soccer team. The 20,000-seat arena is situated in the center of the Eleven Park neighborhood development, set to transform the city’s southwest quadrant by introducing office spaces, residential units, retail spaces, parking garages, and amenities such as restaurants, a hotel, and green spaces.
The 18th annual Architecture Exhibition La Biennale Di Venezia is taking place from May to November under the theme of “The Laboratory of the Future”. This year, the Taiwanese Pavilion, organized by the Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, announced that it will explore the intelligence embedded in surrounding landscapes. “Diachronic Apparatuses of Taiwan” displays how locals throughout Taiwanese history have used their intuition to shape their environment. Furthermore, the project also opens a dialogue about artificial and natural terrain to rediscover what we may learn from nature.
Form and function. Terms that accompany several definitions that belong to architecture, but more is needed to summarize the practice in 2023. Nowadays, building involves understanding the cycles of materials and how each action can be linked to the extraction of natural resources and their damage to the environment. We live in an urgent need to review the way we produce built space. In this search for models that move away from linear systems and provide a constant process of transformation and redistribution of matter, strategies arising from the circular economy emerge as a possible path. Its application in architectural heritage – for maintenance or restoration – can incentive the necessary changes toward a more sustainable society.
Designed by Adjaye Associates, the Abrahamic Family House is a landmark project located in the Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The center encompasses three separate houses of worship: a mosque, a church, and a synagogue, along with spaces for gathering and dialogue. First announced in 2019 following an international competition, the interfaith complex was officially inaugurated and opened to worshippers on 16th February 2023. Access to the forum and guided tours will be available to visitors from 1 March 2023.
We are happy to premiere the documentary "Women in Architecture", a project initiated by Sky-Frame, directed by Boris Noir.
A better built environment is also an inclusive one. That's why diversity is key to our profession, as it expands our views of the world and connects us with the real needs of society. So we opened a window into the professional and personal lives of three women in architecture who bring something unique to the world, to inspire others.
The project has been initiated by Sky-Frame to shed more light on the role of women in architecture, by increasing their visibility and empowering them to realize their full potential.
"To make our world a better place. Everyone should have an idea of how architecture works and what it can have an impact on. We live in the era where humans are changing the planet, architecture is one of the most important tools", stated film-maker Boris Noir about the idea behind the film.
We reached out to Toshiko Mori, Gabriela Carrillo and Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge, three architects in three different countries, in different contexts, at different stages of their life and career, but with a lot in common: recognized practitioners, with a passion for education, working with communities, and a sensibility towards the needs of society and the built environment.
Once the Pritzker family of Chicago through the Hyatt Foundation has revealed the announcement date of the 2023 Pritzker Prize Laureate, the speculation has begun to swirl around which architect or architects will be honored with "the profession’s highest honor."
Since the foundation does not allow public nomination nor disclosure of its selection methodology, the architecture and design community speculates who can be the laureate. If you take a look at the list of architects who have won already, you might realize that anything is possible.
Every day, architects and designers tackle an ambitious task: crafting spaces that not only captivate the eye but that also nurture the health and well-being of those who inhabit them. A key part of this mission involves implementing design strategies that foster a pleasant indoor climate, as temperature, humidity and air quality all have a significant impact on users’ mood, productivity and overall health. Humans simply operate better if they are comfortable and content in their home or working environment. Although air-conditioning, ventilation and heating systems have conventionally served as popular solutions to regulate indoor climate, they often carry with them undesirable consequences –the presence of dust and bacteria, the need for regular maintenance and a cluttered, unappealing look. There is, however, an alternative solution.
Refurbishment and adaptive reuse have been at the forefront of architectural discourse in recent years. This demonstrates that the profession is becoming increasingly aware of its impact on the environment and the opportunities presented by reusing what has already been built. Architecture 2030 has recently launched CARE, or Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator, a new digital tool that enables designers, owners, and communities to quantify the carbon benefits of adaptive reuse. By entering a streamlined set of project information, such as energy targets and potential building interventions, users can quickly estimate both operational carbon emissions generated by the use of the building and embodied carbon emissions, which are tied to the building materials employed.
3XN, a Copenhagen-based studio centered around cultural architecture, has just received the green light from the planning committee for their design of the new Migration Museum. At its current location in Lewisham in Southeast London, the Museum is an encompassing collective archive of the movement of people to and from Britain. Moreover, the project explores how these movements have shaped us as individuals, communities, and as a nation. The 21-story scheme creates a new, permanent home for the Migration Museum and student accommodation.
Better for sight, better for eyes, better for health, and better for moods, natural light is understandably the majority’s favored method of illumination, but it’s an uncontrollable resource. It can be increased with larger windows, open-plan interiors, and reflective or light-hued surfaces, but ultimately, when those cold winter nights draw in, the majority of our time is spent fumbling around in the dark.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Well-thought-out lighting concepts can entirely transform an interior environment. This home in Japan, for example, highlights its architectural features with hidden lighting, bringing them to life at night, while this small-scale showroom cinema also uses indirect lighting strips to graphically define its interior.
The International Placemaking Week, presented by Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is an inspiring and engaging event designed as a global gathering of placemakers from different sectors to discuss thoughts and share strategies in order to push forward the concept of placemaking in the host city and on an international level. Previous editions took place in Vancouver in 2016, Amsterdam in 2017, and Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2019.
PPS, the nonprofit organization behind Placemaking Week, helps people create and sustain public spaces that build strong communities. In 1999, they elaborated “How to turn a place around”, a book that defined the placemaking movement, creating a guideline of 11 principles to follow in order to create vibrant community spaces.
Part two of "Stories of Lisbon's Light" takes place in Cascais, a vibrant seaside resort an hour away from Lisbon, hidden on the westernmost tip of the European continent. Right on the Riviera Portuguesa, architect Bruno Novo gave his modern, minimalist touch to a holiday villa where natural light plays the leading part. Focusing on natural elements and minimal touches that open up the spaces inside and outside, the house is made with a family holiday in mind.
On January 31st, construction scaffolding and barriers were disassembled from the site at 56 Leonard Street, revealing Anish Kapoor’s first permanent artwork in New York City. The 48-foot-long, 19-foot-tall, 40-ton sculpture is nestled partially beneath the Herzog & de Meuron-designed residential building in the Tribeca neighborhood in Lower Manhattan. The mirrored sculpture is reminiscent of Kapoor;’s work called Cloud Gate, also known as “The Bean,” in Chicago, US.
Many collaborators around the world have started submitting their pavilion concepts, all under the theme of the Biennale: The Laboratory of the Future for the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. This year, the British Pavilion will be curated by Jayden Ali, Joseph Henry, Meneesha Kellay, and Sumitra Upham. The exhibition, Dancing Before the Moon will display several installations that include new creations from six designers and artists.
