In this episode of Design and the City - a podcast by reSITE on how to make cities more liveable – scholar, writer and consultant Tim Gill, author of Urban Playground: How Child-Friendly Planning and Design Can Save Cities, talks about the importance of designing cities that can foster play and empower children autonomy, as a way of creating inclusive urban environments fit for all ages and abilities. Gill argues for enhancing children's everyday freedom and discusses his research into ideas and principles that would make neighbourhoods rich in experiences in possibilities, which he defines as child-friendly urban planning.

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It is a commonly held belief by non-architects (and even some architects) that gabled roofs are inherently better than flat ones. The argument typically goes that a gable demonstrates a ‘form follows function’ sensibility, easily shedding water and snow using geometry and gravity. So, flat roofs might leak. While that’s true, this video blows the roof off the topic by taking a finer look at some points that might change your mind. This includes Louis Sullivan’s original reason for writing the phrase “form ever follows function,” as well as the ability of flat roofs to offer outdoor public spaces, supporting green roofs, structural simplicity, wind considerations, among many others. There’s also another, competing functional/formal reason for why a low slope roof might be more prudent than a more aggressive slope, even in snowy areas like Chicago.

In architecture and interior design, ceilings are fundamental elements that combine functionality with aesthetic features such as colors, textures, and materials. While providing quality and comfort, unique and well-thought ceilings can create a dramatic visual impact, defining a building’s tone and character. However, even though a room’s “fifth wall” is a crucial design component, it is not frequently emphasized in architectural projects – or not nearly as much as decor, furniture, wallpaper, or other elements that define interior ambiance. It is therefore important to explore the numerous creative opportunities that a ceiling can offer, beyond the typical plain white shade that continues to dominate in most interior spaces.

MVRDV has revealed "O", one of four letter-shaped apartment buildings that spell out the word HOME in Franklin Mitte, Mannheim. The 15-storey residential building features a brightly colored structure with 120 apartments, commercial spaces, and a terrace, and is part of Franklin Mitte's complete master plan transformation.

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Farshid Moussavi Architecture has recently revealed the design for the Ismaili Center in Houston, a project dedicated to cultural exchanges and civic outreach. An ambassadorial building for the largest Ismaili Muslim community in the United States, the new building will host educational, cultural and social events, while also providing a space for contemplation and prayer. The design showcases a contemporary image while reinterpreting traditional Persian elements, thus establishing a dialogue between tradition and modern architecture.

The European Commission's New European Bauhaus has announced the winners of the 2021 edition at the Ateliers des Tanneurs in Brussels, Belgium.

According to the organization, the main objectives have been to recognize current achievements and help the younger generation to continue developing emerging concepts and ideas that illustrate three values: sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion. Accordingly, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has stated that "these projects give a lot of hope for our fight against climate change and the European Green Deal."

Zaha Hadid Architects' Hollywood-inspired Studio City Phase 2 has reached its full height of construction. Located in the Cotai district of Macau, the resort expansion was assigned to Zaha Hadid Architects back in 2017, featuring new leisure, entertainment, and hospitality facilities, including one of Asia’s largest indoor & outdoor water parks. The project was named winner of the ‘Regional Award Asia’ at the BREEAM Awards 2021, and is set to be complete in December 2022.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the first two shortlisted projects for the 2021 House of the Year, an annual award that honors the best new architect-designed house or extension in the United Kingdom. The following two projects will be announced on November 24th, and the complete shortlist will be announced on December 8th, 2021, on UK's Channel 4.

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Canada's Department of National Heritage has announced the five finalists for the LGBTQ2+ National Monument competition, a project meant to honour the community and recall its oppression during the LGBT Purge period. Among the shortlisted designs is SOM's proposal, consisting of an array of flagpoles stripped of their flags, symbolising the trauma, deprivation of culture and concealment of identity that the LGBTQ2+ community was experienced. Designed in collaboration with Rebecca Belmore, Noam Gonick, and HTFC Planning & Design, the design titled Bapiiwin, meaning survival /overcoming in native Ojibwe, seeks to provide a space of remembrance while serving as a symbol of resilience.

Art Deco architecture derives from a style of visual arts of the same name that emerged in Europe in the 1920s, which also influenced the movie industry, fashion, interior design, graphic design, sculpture, painting, and other forms of art, in addition to architecture. The milestone of this style was the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925, from which it took its name.

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Rammed earth constructions are not a novelty, on the contrary, some sections of the Great Wall of China were made using this technique. Relegated and replaced by modern methods of construction, the mud walls are currently re-emerging as an economic, sustainable solution, with low environmental impact. Even Joelle Eyeson, a young African entrepreneur, is betting that it may be the answer to the housing deficit in her region.

This is a rudimentary construction system in which earth is compressed into wooden boxes. The clay is horizontally placed in layers of 15 cm in height, and compacted with manual or pneumatic tools, to achieve its ideal density creating a resistant and durable structure.

As part of Velux's Build for Life online conference, ArchDaily will be hosting the Daylight in Architecture Sessions. Today, Cristian Izquierdo Lehmann, Jose Fernando from Natura Futura, and Rick Joy will discuss how to leverage buildings to benefit the environment and improve the quality of life.

Led by American Lebanese architect Hashim Sarkis, the jury of the global Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction has announced the winners of the sixth edition of the global competition at a handover ceremony at the 2021 Venice Biennale in Italy.

Sou Fujimoto Architects has unveiled its design for the Hida Takayama University, a new academic institute tucked in a small rural area of Japan. The project aims to revitalize the rural areas which are often overlooked, especially by academic institutes, and nurture the sense of community and appreciation of the rich culture provided by nature. The design features an organic-shaped structure inspired the surrounding landscape and a walkable roof. The university is set to open in 2024, and will be followed by 11 other regional learning centers across the country.

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Canada’s Department of National Heritage has announced the five finalists for the LGBTQ2+ National Monument competition, a project meant to tell the story of generations of people who have been persecuted, specifically during the LGBT Purge period. Among the shortlisted designs is The Lens, a proposal that turns a symbol of oppression into an identity element and uses the landscape to express the community’s reverberation into society. Designed by a team comprising Canadian office Fathom studio, MVRDV and Two Row Architect, the proposal seeks to express resiliency, creating a space for memorialization and education while providing an inclusive space for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.

Bamboo is a very resistant, versatile, and sustainable natural building material, which can be used to build structures and decorative elements. This article explores its diverse applications in a selection of projects for public spaces.

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When the 2008 Great Recession destroyed advertising revenue for all of publishing and limited the cash that architects had for PR and photographers, the established way of promoting architects and architecture was brutally compromised. That same moment saw the instant availability of smartphones, with insanely good cameras, huge memory, and soon 5G transmission. Those technological revolutions turned graphic duffers into artists. Anyone can now photo, video, and narrate any perception anywhere, instantly, free - and share universally. The cliché of saying that the internet “everything changed” is true in how the world sees architecture.

This one-two punch of fiscal devastation and technological revolution has realized a New Practice; the Self-Promoting Architect, independent of the Machine of Defining Cool in architecture.

Following several years of preparation, Taipei Fine Arts Museum announces the start of its two-phase expansion project titled Out of Bounds: TFAM Expansion. Construction on a new collections vault began in October of this year, and an open call for architectural proposals for another new museum building will be launched in January 2022. The Museum was completed in 1983 and together with the new collection storage area and a second building, it will gradually expand Taiwan's contemporary art vista.

For some years now, wood has received an increasing amount of attention in the construction industry. With concerns raised about sustainability and the carbon footprint of buildings, new construction methods and innovative possibilities in the use of timber have developed rapidly. This interest in wood stems in part from its renewability, though this benefit is contingent on sustainable logging and the appropriate management of forests to be allowed to regenerate naturally. However, it is the versatility of wood that serves as the primary impetus for its widespread use. From boards, to beams, to floors, and even to thermal and acoustic tiles and insulators, wood can be used in several different stages of a single project and with different degrees of processing and finishing.

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced its shortlist for the 2021 International Prize, a prestigious biennial award that celebrates the world’s best new projects that “champion buildings that change the world and positively impact the community around them". The jury has selected three projects from a list of 16 projects in 11 countries, and will announce the winner on Thursday 2nd December.

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UNStudio revealed its competition-winning design for K31 Courtyard, a residential complex in Moscow that fosters community-building in the context of a rapidly changing city. The proposal features a stepped podium and two towers and reinterprets Moscow’s typical courtyard block, aiming to create a new neighbourhood through various housing typologies, amenities, and outdoor spaces.

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