This week, the Museum of Modern Art officially launches a new series of exhibitions entitled Architecture Now. According to MoMA, “The first iteration of the series, New York, New Publics, will explore the ways in which New York City–based practices have been actively expanding the relationship of metropolitan architecture to different publics through 12 recently completed projects.”
The exhibition will showcase public-facing work, such as parks, community gardens, and pools, by Adjaye Associates, Agency—Agency and Chris Woebken, CO Adaptive, James Corner Field Operations, Kinfolk Foundation, nArchitects, New Affiliates and Samuel Stewart-Halevy, Olalekan Jeyifous, Only If, PetersonRich Office, SO – IL, and SWA/Balsley and Weiss/Manfredi.
Selected from a shortlist of 10 proposals, David Chipperfield’s design won the competition for the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. Housing one of the world’s most important collections of prehistoric and ancient art, the National Archaeological Museum, will undergo refurbishment and extension works, including a subterranean addition with a roof garden. The proposal was developed together with Wirtz International, Tombazis & Associate Architects, wh-p ingenieure, Werner Sobek, and Atelier Brückner.
With more than 900 projects in over 40 countries, every project that Zaha Hadid Architects designs and builds has an impact on the narrative of contemporary architecture. At ArchDaily, we know that each architectural project has a team of professionals behind it which makes it possible. In this edition of the ArchDaily ProfessionalsVideo Interviews, we talked to Johannes Schafelner, associate director at Zaha Hadid Architects, and Enrique Peiniger, founder of OVI-Office for Visual Interaction about their long-standing collaboration in projects merging design and lighting.
The Design Center Baden-Württemberg has opened the call for submissions for the 2023 edition of its Focus Open International Design Award. As a non-commercial design prize, the Focus Open offers particularly low barriers to participation thanks to its moderate fees, while providing a high level of visibility from which, in the event of an award, smaller agencies, design studios and companies, in particular, can benefit. Entries can be submitted in a total of 14 categories including Bathroom, Kitchen, Light, Mobility, Investment products, Sport and Mobility.
After two weeks of voting in our 14th edition of the Building of the Year Awards, our readers have narrowed down over 4,500 projects to just 75 finalists across 15 categories, casting over 100,000 votes. This year's awards celebrate the very best in design, innovation, and sustainability from around the globe, with the shortlist featuring an exceptional range of projects, from a house in a favela to cutting-edge cultural centers and innovative public spaces that are sure to impress. As a crowdsourced award, we are proud to say that your selections are a true reflection of the state of architecture, and this year's finalists are no exception.
On February 15, 2023, the Living Places / Simon Architecture Prize 2023 award ceremony was held in Barcelona. An initiative by Simon, with the support of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, the prize seeks to recognize excellence in architecture from the perspective of the inhabitant. In fact, "it distinguishes those works which strengthen the ability of adaptability of spaces to reach comfort and well-being to its residents".
Walking down the streets of cities like Hanoi and Saigon in Vietnam, you might encounter houses with surprisingly narrow facades in contrast to the stacking of three to five floors, with windows for ventilation and natural light only on the front facade. These are the famous traditional Tube Houses. According to ancient popular culture, this type of housing emerged due to property taxes being based on the width of the facade, but the true reason is to optimize land use, allowing a larger number of plots in the same square.
However, this legacy is now being recreated in contemporary designs by Vietnamese architects. Old facades give way to innovative solutions featuring atriums for natural lighting and ventilation, courtyards and interior gardens, greenery incorporated into different environments, split-levels, etc., allowing for high-quality spaces. With that in mind, we have put together a selection of Tube Houses, together with their respective section drawings. Check out below:
Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE - La Biennale di Venezia
Aridly Abundant is the title of the body of research being exhibited at the UAE National Pavilion at the 18th annual International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. The Pavilion was curated by Faysal Tabbarah, Associate Dean and Professor of Architecture at the College of Architecture, Art, and Design at the American University of Sharjah. The exhibition explores the possibility of architectural possibilities in, with, and for arid landscapes.
I've been designing websites since 1997, and in that time, websites have changed quite a bit. With all the changes over the years, it's no surprise that I often find some firm owners don't understand how architecture website design really works. While you might know a bad website when you see one, you might not understand what makes a good site work. This article will change that.
Envisioned by the architectural pioneers at Woods Bagot, the Sculptform Design Studio was the recipient of the prestigious Best Small Workplace Award at the recent World Architecture Festival 2022. The space is an immersive tactile experience and has become a gathering space for the wider architecture industry. The design evokes the bespoke timber and aluminium products, craftsmanship and the custom detailing they are known for.
Sculptform and Woods Bagot set a new standard for the reciprocity that can exist between client and architect and showcases the limitless potential when a design team is truly immersed in materiality. Blurring the line between retail space and installation, it is a brilliant ‘working showroom’ case study for just how impactful design can be when local manufacturing and quality craftsmanship come together.
The Zaha Hadid-designed Business Stadium Central has been granted approval by the City of Vilnius. In collaboration with Lithuanian developer Hanner, the project seeks to become a new gathering place for the city, creating a variety of new public spaces and amenities with flexible workplaces as well as health and wellness facilities for everyone in Vilnius. Construction is scheduled for the second quarter of this year.
BIG has won a proposal to design a 300 m tall residential tower and a 250 m tall office tower for the Guiwan district, located in the metropolitan city of Qianhai, what is most commonly known as the international finance city of China. Part of the new development plan for Qianhai Bay, the Prisma Towers aim to transform the greater bay area. The project will include workspaces, residences, and 20,000m2 of leveled public spaces.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every February 2nd to raise awareness of wetlands. This day also marks the anniversary of the Wetlands Convention, adopted as an international treaty in 1971. Its enactment is because nearly 90% of the world's wetlands have been degraded since 1700, decimated three times faster than the forests. However, they are essential ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies, and much more.
Founder of the balanced-arm design, the Anglepoise lamp holds the weight of its head with attached springs. Image Courtesy of Anglepoise
"You’ve got a friend in me…" sings Randy Newman, in the Oscar-winning toy-box-fearing romp, Toy Story. But although the song refers to the relationship between a young boy and his favorite toys, it could equally apply to another of Pixar Animation’s most iconic characters, the loveable Luxo Jr, seen hopping around the studio’s production logo.
Combining a stable base with an independently moveable arm and head may make anthropomorphic desk lamps more functional, but while size, position, brightness, temperature, and the adjustability of all of the above are important features, what you really look for in someone to share a desk with, is a friend. Here are some of the friendliest desk light characters.
With a simple flick of a switch, lighting has the ability to completely transform a space, define its ambiance and create a mesmerizing, multi-sensory experience. It can cast shadows and highlights, add depth and texture, and even has the power to stir emotions and influence our well-being. More than just a practical source of illumination, it’s a tool for sculpting spaces and making a bold statement. Lighting fixtures come in various shapes, sizes and styles, each with a unique character and purpose; from the ornate elegance of a chandelier hanging from the ceiling to the sleek minimalism of a recessed light installed into a wall. The possibilities for creative expression are endless. Innovating and breaking the boundaries of traditional lighting design, Tom Dixon’s sculptural luminaires are a testament to these possibilities.
NOW HERE THERE - Accelerator of Ideas, 100 Lateral Pedagogies. Image Courtesy of UAR
The Romanian Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia will showcase innovative, yet unusual ideas and past technological innovations as a source of inspiration for creating more enjoyable and resilient urban environments. Titled “Now, Here, There,” the project was chosen following a national competition. The curatorial team composed of Emil Ivănescu, Simina Filat, Cătălin Berescu, and Anca Păsărin suggests turning to forgotten early 20th-century inventions to open up the field of possibilities for future developments. The team also collaborates with a number of specialists and institutions, including the National Technical Museum in Bucharest, which will provide a series of original artifacts to be on display for the duration of the exhibition, from May 20 to November 26, 2023.
Perkins & Will has just begun construction on the Gateway Project for the University of British Columbia. The project will serve as the primary entrance point to the campus, as well as the new hub for the Nursing, Kinesiology, Language Science, and the university's health clinics. This project is inspired by the surrounding landscape and is informed by the Musqueam people, who have been occupying these territories for generations.
Students at the School of Engineering, RMIT University recently published a study experimenting with a new form of waste management and recycling. As they note in their research, cigarette butts are the most commonly discarded single waste item in the world, with an estimated 5.7 trillion having been consumed around the globe in 2016. However, the materials in cigarette butts—particularly their cellulose acetate filters—can be extremely harmful to the environment due to poor biodegradability. The RMIT study builds on a previous research study by Mohajerani et. al (2016) that experimented with adding discarded cigarette butts to clay bricks for architectural use. In their research, the RMIT students found that such a measure would reduce the energy consumption of the brick production process and lower the thermal conductivity of the bricks, but that other issues including bacterial contamination would have to be addressed prior to successful implementation. Below, we explore this research in more detail, investigating its relevance to the architecture industry and imagining possible futures of application.
https://www.archdaily.com/956164/is-it-possible-to-create-lightweight-bricks-by-recycling-cigarette-buttsLilly Cao
Stabilized Aluminum Foam is a unique looking material that combines the aesthetics of aluminum (its texture, shades and brightness) with a spongy, porous appearance. It is produced by injecting air into a cast aluminum alloy with stabilizing agents, which after curing, creates a porous and lightweight, yet highly resistant and rigid cellular structure. Because of its mechanical and thermal properties, it is particularly useful in applications in various industries, such as automotive, aerospace and marine, especially for energy absorption, thermal insulation, and sound dampening.
Archaeological endeavors aimed at exploring the civilizations of the past have revealed a commonality across the world. A form of architecture developed independently on every continent. Evidence shows that Neolithic communities used fertile soils and alluvial clay to construct humble abodes, creating humankind’s first durable and solid building material. Earth architecture was born at a very early age in human history. The techniques soon suffered a gradual decline as lifestyles changed, cities grew, and industrialized materials flourished. Does earth architecture have a place in the 21st-century world?
Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) Director Dirk Denison and 2023 MCHAP Jury Chair Sandra Barclay (Barclay & Crousse) have just announced the six finalists for the 2023 Americas Prize. The award recognizes the best-built works of architecture in the Americas completed between December 2018 and June 2021. This represents the latest stage of the fourth cycle of the MCHAP, launched in Venice, Italy, in August 2021. On March 24, 2023, the jury will announce the winners of the the 2023 Americas Prize. The authors of the winning project are set to receive a $50,000 fund for research along with a publication.
From Taiwan to the Netherlands to Uruguay, Jakub Sawosko has extensively been photographing concrete architecture all over the world and displaying them on Instagram as @sh_sh_welt.
After living surrounded and fascinated by post-war concrete architecture in Europe in his early years, Sawosko moved to Taiwan where he eventually realized that Modernism had heavily influenced Taiwan as well. "I felt that [Taiwan's distinctive style of architecture] deserved more recognition", explains Jakub in conversation with ArchDaily via Instagram.
The washroom is a space often used by visitors. It can be the first impression one has of its owners. As small areas are usually the most difficult to innovate in an interior project, we have gathered some creative examples of this room.
A room with a toilet and a sink is enough to be called a washroom. Open and connected with other environments or closed, by innovating in materials, textures and colors, it can bring a lot of personality to the building. Below, check out 15 projects that can serve as inspiration.
