This episode of Architecture w/ Stewart explores the only five ways of organizing the plan of a building, at least they are the only ones according to Francis Ching as listed in the canonical text Form, Space, and Order. Each of the five: central, linear, radial, clustered, and grid, offer unique benefits and opportunities to architects, clients, or visitors. Some of the strategies are reserved for formal ceremonial buildings, while others are better for providing less rigid and more organic exploration by occupants. Some yield complete and autonomous forms while others can shrink or grow at ease. However, every single building is, in some way, a combination of these five basic strategies. Using paper cutout shapes, plastic human figures, and representative examples from history and recent constructions, Stewart demonstrates the value and possibilities of each organizational strategy.

A multidisciplinary design team led by global architecture firm Grimshaw was selected as the winner of an international competition to design the Shenzhen Airport East Integrated Transport Hub. The winning design, which was inspired by the Mangrove tree, will provide travelers effortless transfers between high speed rail and other public transportation means in a new green and interactive way.

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Calatrava's design for the Yuan Ze Arts and Conference Hall, now more than a decade in the making, finally broke ground this week. When ready, the project will serve as a venue for exhibitions and cultural events and will feature a Performing Arts Building, an Orchestra Hall and a Theatre, among other amenities.

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Heritage buildings are precious treasures passed down to us by our ancestors. They are also intangible cultural gifts for all mankind, a discovery of the past. Nevertheless, as time changes, ancient Chinese architecture, either destroyed by the forces of wars or nature, is gradually losing its original glory, making the protection and restoration of ancient buildings an urgent matter in this contemporary world.

This article was originally published on Common Edge as "Living on the Edge."

I am on the edge. Not emotionally or psychologically—although this could be the case—but literally, physically, spatially, geographically. As I write this, I am sitting on the balcony of a hotel room in Miami Beach, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Behind me is the whole State of Florida and, indeed, the entire North American continent. In front of me: the boardwalk, a narrow beach, and then a lot of water—and not much else between here and Mauritania, a distance of more than 4,400 miles.

Last November, UNESCO, the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, and the Iraqi Sunni Endowment jointly announced an international design competition for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the historical Al Nouri Complex in Mosul. One of the oldest cities in the world, Mosul ("the linking point" in Arabic) is beginning a recovery process following years of conflict, guided by an initiative aptly titled "Revive the Spirit of Mosul." The rehabilitation of the Al Nouri Complex, which dates originally to the twelfth century and has constituted a core facet of city life since, is a central part of this initiative, and is intended to signal the city's resilience, hope, social cohesion, and reconciliation in the aftermath of the conflicts. Six months after the competition was originally announced, winners have finally been chosen.

Baca Architects have set out to build the world's largest natural marine observatory in Australia. Taking the form a whale emerging from the water, the project will be built at the end of the Busselton Jetty. Baca was appointed by marine contractor Subcon as Lead Architects for the new project. Called the Australian Underwater Discovery Centre (AUDC), the design will include an underwater trail and dining experience.

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Entitled “A Roof for Silence”, the Lebanese Pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, will investigate the question of living together, tackling the issue of coexistence through a questioning of the spaces of silence, and by putting into dialogue architecture, painting, music, poetry, video and photography. Curated by Hala Wardé, founder of HW architecture, in collaboration with Etel Adnan and Fouad Elkoury, the national pavilion will be on display at the Magazzino del Sale (Zattere), from May 22nd to November 21st, 2021.

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Designed by Irish architecture firm Heneghan Peng, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum devoted entirely to Egyptology is set to open this summer, sitting on the edge of the Giza Plateau, 2 km away from the Pyramids. Considered as the largest museum in the world dedicated to one civilization, the cultural complex will accommodate about 100,000 ancient artifacts, and will include 24,000m² of permanent exhibition space, a children’s museum, conference facilities, educational areas, a conservation center, and extensive gardens inside and around the museum's plan.

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New London Architecture (NLA) published the results of the 2021 edition of its annual Tall Building Survey, showing both the impact of the pandemic on the construction industry of the UK's capital and the prospects of future development. Since launching in 2014, the report has provided a comprehensive review of London's skyline.

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Ventilation serves two main purposes in a room: first, to remove pollutants and provide clean air; second, to meet the metabolic needs of the occupants, providing pleasant temperatures (weather permitting). It is well known that environments with inadequate ventilation can bring serious harm to the health of the occupants and, especially in hot climates, thermal discomfort. A Harvard University study demonstrated that in buildings with good ventilation and better air quality (with lower rates of carbon dioxide), occupants showed better performance of cognitive functions, faster responses to extreme situations, and better reasoning in strategic activities.

It is not difficult to see that ventilation plays a vital role in ensuring adequate air quality and thermal comfort in buildings. We have all felt it. But when we talk about ventilation, a light breeze from the window might come to mind, shifting through our hair and bringing a pleasant aroma and cooling temperature that brings fresh air and comfort. In mild climates, this experience can even be a reality on many days of the year. In harsh climates or polluted spaces, it could be quite different.

Hemp is one of the oldest crops domesticated by humans. With its wide variety of uses and applications, it’s easy to understand why it’s been a desirable product throughout history. Hemp seeds and flowers are used in health foods, medicines, and organic beauty products; the fibers and stalks of the hemp plant are used in clothing, paper, and biofuel. Today even a waste product of hemp fiber processing, so-called hemp shives, is being utilized to create sustainable building materials like hempcrete.

WeTransfer recently released its 2020 Ideas Report, which showcases the effects COVID-19 has had on creativity. At a time when the economy, employment rates, and overall morale were down, the report found a reason for hope—nearly half (45.3 percent) of the 35,000 creatives polled claimed that they experienced more creative ideas during the pandemic than before.

Which begs the question: How do we replicate the good that has come out of the pandemic and keep it going for the industry over the long term? ThinkLab sat down with business leaders within—and outside—the interiors industry to understand the shifts companies made to remain relevant in these changing times.

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St. Louis-based architecture and design practice Patterhn Ives has broken ground on a new outdoor performing arts pavilion for Missouri State University. Located in Springfield, the project reimagines the plaza adjacent to Craig Hall and transforms the outdoor area into the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Arts Park. Named the John Goodman Amphitheatre, the design will serve as the new, permanent home for the university's acclaimed Tent Theatre.

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After several event cancellations due to the pandemic, Manhattan’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex have transformed their outdoor plaza into a green park and outdoor performance venue called The Green. As of May 10, the Restart Stages initiative will add fake grass across the 14,000-square-foot (1,300 sqm) Josie Robertson Plaza. The plaza, which was originally designed by Philip Johnson, Wallace K. Harrison, and Max Abramovitz, and renovated by award-winning architecture firm DS+R in 2010, will transform into a public urban space of gathering, leisure, and entertainment.

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Last September, the EU launched the New European Bauhaus, an initiative designed to transform the built environment into a more sustainable one with higher social value. The project, shaped through an unprecedented co-design process, is now calling for architects, students, specialists, and citizens to share ideas, examples and challenges to help define the movement's concrete steps.

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The Google Maps application will direct drivers to more eco-friendly routes that generate the lowest carbon footprint using mainly traffic data, road slopes and inclines, and other factors.

The eco-friendly option will be the application's default route if comparable options take about the same time. When alternatives are significantly faster, Google will offer choices and let users compare estimated emissions.

Just before the global lockdowns began in response to the spread of the widely discussed COVID-19, we met with Saint Gobain experts at their new headquarters in Paris to discuss an extensive investigation conducted in 2019, with the aim of understanding the transformations that architecture and construction have experienced in recent years. After an interesting exchange of ideas, we chose the most relevant topics to be analyzed in depth by our team of editors, resulting in a series of articles that combined the trends identified with the unexpected events that occurred during 2020, connecting them directly to architectural design.

Now, entering an uncertain but promising 2021, we took the time to stop and reread these articles carefully. How many of these trends are still valid and how much have they evolved? What new trends are likely to develop in the coming years?