The international master jury of the 4th cycle (2020-2023) of the Abdullatif Alfozan Award for Mosque Architecture had their second and final meeting at Kuwait last 11-13 November 2022. The meeting was chaired by Architect Rasem Badran (Saudi Arabia and Jordan) and attended by all jurors: Architect Emre Arolat (Turkey), Architect Kashif Chowdhury (Bangladesh), Artist Ahmad Mostapha (United Kingdom) and Sociologist Sari Hanafi (France).
Foster + Partners has revealed the design for a new mixed-use development in the northern end of the central London high street. The building is located on Queensway, opposite the Whitley, the famous department store, which is also being transformed by Foster + Partners as part of a larger redevelopment scheme. Named The William, after William Whiteley, the eponymous founder of the famous Whiteleys, the project includes six floors of office space, shops, and 32 new homes, 11 of which will be affordable.
Austin-based office HKS announced the design of the Wilson Tower, a high-rise of 315 meters in Texas' capital featuring 80 floors, 450 units, outdoor terraces, and gardens. The tower will be delivered in collaboration with Britt Design Group and Wilson Capital, and is expected to break ground in the summer of 2023. After completion will become the tallest residential tower in the USA outside of New York.
TV shows about renovations are seductive. We feel anxiety when seeing that home remodeled in an unimaginable way, providing a family reconnection with the new space. The tears at the end, the host-architect-contractor satisfied with the result, intact wooden floors, shiny appliances, and bathtubs ready to be used. It is no wonder that these programs are reaching an ever-increasing audience and, consequently, inspiring many transformations in other people's homes.
But if, on the one hand, they encourage viewers to change by showing the infinite possibilities of transforming and improving a space, on the other hand, they can reproduce misconceptions about architecture, especially concerning the conception and execution process.
Noises –especially those we can’t control– greatly affect both physical and mental health. Whether coming from the street, upstairs neighbors or the room next door, research suggests that these can raise stress, reduce productivity, interfere with communications and contribute to developing issues such as high blood pressure. Ultimately, sound quality defines user experience and (literally) sets the tone for the rest of the interior. The bad news is that most conventional building materials used today in modern architecture –concrete, glass, masonry– have extremely hard surfaces and limited acoustic properties, reverberating sound several times over and forcing users to raise their voices to be understood. Coupled with growing urban density and projects adopting a mixed-use layout, all of this results in increasingly noisy, uncomfortable and distracting living and working environments.
Beirut-born, Paris-based architect Lina Ghotmeh has been announced as the designer of the 22nd annual Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. Titled “À Table,” the French expression for sitting together to eat, her proposal introduces a slender wooden structure with nine pleated petals supported by radial ribs. Inside the pavilion, a ring of tables and benches invites visitors to enter, sit down and relax, eat or work together. According to the architect, the modest space and low-slung canopy is meant to make people feel close to the earth. The Serpentine Pavilion will be open from June to October 2023.
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.
Along coasts and fjords, mountains, and waterfalls, Norway's National Tourist Routes traverse the country's most unique natural landscapes. They are 18 roads that are intended as alternative experiences to the main roads, with rest stops and remote viewpoints that were developed over nearly three decades by some 50 architecture and landscape offices.
“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” Despite Winston Churchill’s words, architects are shaped by our culture, and our work reacts to it. Because our culture evolves, the practice of architecture evolves. What is “New” in architectural practice has had accelerating change, exploding in the 21st century because new technologies have changed everything on a level of the Industrial Revolution, 200 years ago.
Interior architects and designers have often claimed that a well-designed office space will translate into greater productivity, creativity and worker satisfaction –yet the impact is greater than most tend to imagine. Recent studies suggest that good design positively impacts company culture, fosters a sense of community and creates a healthy, happy and motivating environment. In fact, it directly influences the recruitment and retention of talent: “workplace design significantly increases the attractiveness of employers to potential candidates.” Proper lighting, a flexible layout and biophilic features are all important factors to consider during the planning stage. But to fully address user comfort and well-being, these must be combined with excellent furniture design. After all, integrating high-quality ergonomic pieces is a simple way to boost mood and enhance functionality and aesthetics when creating or redecorating the workspace.
Envision your ideal neighborhood. Maybe it’s on a cul-de-sac in the suburbs, where every neighbor has a well-manicured lawn, a two-car garage, and everyone gives each other a friendly wave on their way to work. Or maybe you live in a high-rise building in a dense urban center, where you take public transit to the office five days a week and say hello to your doorman on your way out. Whatever your neighborhood might look like, there’s always a sense of wanting to know the people who live around your- or at least an unspoken reliance on one another to ensure that your surroundings are safe. What happens when technology brings you and your neighbors together to report on local happenings? Is it a good thing, or does it create a vigilante situation gone awry?
ASPECT Studios won the international design competition for Alibaba’s Headquarters (Park C) Campus Project in Hangzhou, in the Zhejiang province. Based on the “BioHabiNet” concept, ASPECT's proposal focuses on an interconnected network of layered biodiversity, sustainable water systems, and community-orientated workplaces. The Xixi Campus will host over 30,000 Alibaba staff and aims to become a precedent for further corporate parks in support of China’s carbon-neutral target for 2060.
Today, architects and designers are increasingly aware of the responsibility they have in leading the construction of the virtual environment. But how is it designed? How is it built? What is the degree of experimentation that exists?
'Discovery: a story about rooftops, airships, robots, and inflatables' is a recently opened exhibition at the SCI-Arc gallery that addresses just this theme. Designed by Damjan Jovanovic and Lidija Kljakovic, founders of lifeforms.io - a video game creation studio based in Los Angeles, California - it presents an exploration of the creation of worlds, artificial intelligence, and ecology.
Whether you blame Covid lockdowns, recipe box subscriptions, or the latest high-tech kitchen appliances, everyone’s spending more time in the kitchen. Meanwhile, popular open-plan spaces remove the option of simply shutting the door on the catastrophic mess of a big meal, before settling in for a relaxing evening.
The modern kitchen worktop, then, has to work harder than ever before. Impenetrable when standing up to increased use, yet simple and quick to clean, returning to its sleek and stylish position as a backdrop to the perfect interior with ease. Here are ten of the most common kitchen worktop materials in a crowded market.
Since its founding in 1866, design has been part of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s (SAIC) mission of creativity, experimentation, and free expression. SAIC’s Master of Architecture and Master of Architecture in Interior Architecture programs teach the skills graduates need to enter design professions, the ambition to reimagine them, and the values to guide them as leaders. Students explore the future of how we live, work, and communicate, and cultivate diverse practices that impact culture and public life.
SAIC is currently accepting candidates for their two NAAB-accredited, STEM designated degree paths in Architecture:
On November 3rd, 2022, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) announced the decision to end the restoration works for elements of the campus designed by Louis Kahn with Indian architects Balkrishna V. Doshi and Anant Raje in 1962. The decision affects the faculty blocks, classroom complex, and dorms other than dorm D15. According to the statement, the institution plans to replace some of the buildings, as the complex is “facing structural damage, deterioration and have become uninhabitable, posing a safety concern for the campus's residents.” This represents a reversal of the decision to withdraw the first demolition plans following global protests, announced in January 2021.
The DAAily platforms Designboom, Architonic, and ArchDaily held a unique storytelling space to feature curated talks about design and architecture during the Milan Design Week 2022. Dubbed the DAAily Bar, the set served as a new meeting point inviting renowned designers and exhibiting immersive art installations.
As part of the DAAily Bar Live Talks, ArchDaily's Founder and Editor-in-Chief David Basulto had the opportunity to talk with Jakob Lange, architect and partner at BIG, about the BIG Ideas project, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group’s latest endeavors, and the future of the company.
After years of preparation, the 2022 World Cup, one of the most anticipated global events of this year, was finally launched. The quadrennial international men's football championship is being held for the first time in an Arab country, Qatar, from the 21st of November to the 18th of December 2022. Ever since FIFA announced that Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup back in 2010, preparations for a total of 8 stadiums have been in full force, especially since it will be held in a country with critical climate conditions.
After a few atypical years, the hustle and bustle of a day in the city is back to what it used to be: leaving the house and going to the office, taking the car, bus or plane, grabbing a quick bite to eat in a restaurant, stopping by a museum or a bookshop to get some fresh air and, if we have any energy left, hitting the gym before heading home. In less than 24 hours we pass through several buildings with all kinds of rooms, but they all have one thing in common: the bathroom.
Designing a bathroom can be one of the most challenging but exciting tasks for architects, as both its elements and fittings must provide a safe and hygienic experience for all those who use it on a daily basis. Before COVID-19 came along, there was already a growing trend: the use of non-contact infrared taps. As the name suggests, these are taps that are activated by a sensor that detects the movement of the hand - almost as if by magic.
Over the years, interior design has evolved according to the needs that arise, but above all according to the experiences that we seek to provoke in the user. In the last two years, we have witnessed a radical change and a special interest in this subject because the pandemic forced us to pay specific attention to the configuration of the places we inhabit. This brought about much more holistic designs that cater to the wellbeing of the user, combining colors, sensory experiences, technology, and natural elements that promote health.
The queer crowd has always been present, finding ways to exist, gather, and celebrate. Although their visibility hasn't always been highlighted throughout history due to the consciousness of having to submit to heteronormative and strict mass normality in the past, doesn't mean they previously didn't have their own spaces to call their own. Queer spaces, past and present, have been categorized as strong, vibrant, vigorous, and worthy of occupying their own place in history, filling in as safe places for identifying individuals, places of social gathering, entertainment, and even offering community housing; therefore, there will always be a need for queer spaces.
How we plan our cities, suburbs, and rural communities is a constantly evolving set of goals essential for creating sustainable cities. Not only do we need to consider what lies within these areas, but we also need to effectively design the boundaries between each, where urban meets suburban, and where suburban meets the small town. In recent years, urbanists have paid close attention to urban sprawl, or what sometimes happens when towns rapidly grow outwardly from city centers. What happens when cities seem to “sprawl” out of control, and are the design principals behind New Urbanism able to turn urban sprawl into equitable communities?
The world’s biggest social challenges are reflected in the way we design our spaces. Privatization of public space, lack of affordable housing, dark design and spatial segregation are just some of the most common causes and manifestations of urban inequality that characterize contemporary cities. While holding the potential to reproduce these inequalities, inscribing them further into space, design can also work to oppose discrimination, propelling equity and inclusion.
One of the great challenges that architects have to face every day when designing begins with the conditions of the site where the architectural project is to be implemented. This involves the analysis and study of a series of factors ranging from sunlight, topography, surrounding vegetation, context, and others, all variables that are capable of guiding and/or defining the direction of the architecture to be developed.
