This guide shows how to use a D5 Render a free live-sync plugin to improve SketchUp workflow.

French architect Anne Lacaton, recipient of the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize,has been awarded the 2025 Jane Drew Prize for Architecture, an annual accolade recognizing an architect whose work and commitment to design excellence have contributed to raising the profile of women in architecture. Part of the W Awards, the prize honors figures who have advanced architectural practice through innovation, advocacy, and impact. Lacaton, co-founder of the Paris-based practice Lacaton & Vassal, was selected for her pioneering approach to sustainable and socially responsible architecture.

As Syria is emerging from over a decade of conflict at the time of writing, it is an opportunity to rediscover its architectural gems. Just to the north of the country's principal port city of Latakia is a Modernist creation that is the Center for Marine Research. Its pyramidal structure is situated on a prominent headland surrounded by sea on three sides. To the east is a bay with hotels and beaches while to the north and west is the open Mediterranean Sea reaching Turkey and Cyprus beyond. Despite its importance both as a research institution and as a piece of architecture, it lies abandoned and isolated today.

+ 9

Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), in collaboration with Holger Meyer Architekten, has won the competition for the new Midstad project in Frankfurt. Led by Joost Moolhuijzen and Erik Volz, the design reimagines the future of European city centers as resourceful and multifunctional. The project involves a 35,000 m² rehabilitation of an existing department store on the Zeil in Frankfurt's city center, integrating a six-story mass timber extension and a mixed-use, community-driven program. The project involves reconstruction during ongoing operation, partial demolition, and the expansion of the existing department store.

A new site-specific pavilion has been unveiled in Bradford city centre as part of the 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations. Designed by artist Zarah Hussain and architectural designer Fatima Mejbil, Infinite Light marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan and the launch of Ramadan Festival 2025. The project has been commissioned by the Ramadan Tent Project in collaboration with Bradford 2025 and follows the inaugural Ramadan Pavilion designed by Shahed Saleem in 2023.

+ 4

Often admired for its simplicity and ability to clearly communicate via scribbles on an espresso martini-stained napkin, the napkin sketch is perhaps one of the most recognized forms of creative leadership in the industry. Not only is it iconic, but this type of early-stage, iterative sketch helps to set project direction in a fast, easy, and effective way. However, the work that follows to translate that sketch into design (and ultimately win work) often robs firms of a profitable early-stage design phase.

The New Museum is the only museum in New York City dedicated exclusively to contemporary art. From its beginnings as a one-room office on Hudson Street to the inauguration of its first freestanding building on the Bowery, designed by SANAA in 2007, it has evolved into a center for exhibitions, research, and documentation on international living artists. In 2017, Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas of OMA were selected to design the New Museum's expansion. The first design images were released in 2019. This year, the Museum announced that its 60,000-square-foot expansion, designed in collaboration with Cooper Robertson, will open in fall 2025 with an exhibition exploring the very definition of humanity.

+ 4

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been announced as the winner of the international design competition for the Napoli Porta Est masterplan, a large-scale urban regeneration project in Naples, Italy. The project, which includes the new Campania Region headquarters, aims to reconnect fragmented urban areas and revitalize a district that has long been considered isolated and unsafe due to inadequate public spaces and physical barriers.

+ 2

The Van Nelle Factory, located in Rotterdam, is one of the most significant examples of Modernist Industrial Architecture. Designed by Johannes Andreas Brinkman and Leendert van der Vlugt between 1925 and 1931, with the involvement of Mart Stam — a pioneer in modernist furniture design and architecture — the factory was conceived as a progressive and functional building for processing coffee, tea, and tobacco.

Envisioned as a "daylight factory", the Van Nelle complex introduced revolutionary architectural and social concepts for its time. By integrating glass, steel, and concrete into an open, rational layout, it demonstrated how design could transform industrial processes while improving the lives of the people within. It was not merely a space for production but a symbol of optimism, representing the potential of architecture to reshape industries and communities.

+ 37

Germany's contribution to the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 will expose visitors physically and psychologically to the future urban climate: a STRESSTEST that makes the need for immediate action palpable. The exhibition takes a clear stance: climate change is an unstoppable reality, and the measures taken so far are inadequate. It presents a scenario in which climate change manifests globally through rising temperatures, extreme weather, and sea level rise, with its effects directly felt at a local level: urban spaces suffering from heat stress. Curators Nicola Borgmann, Elisabeth Endres, Gabriele G. Kiefer, and Daniele Santucci have designed an exhibition to highlight the impacts of global warming on urban life in an urgent call to action, emphasizing that this reality threatens urban social life, productivity, and the health and survival of citizens.

+ 1

Zaha Hadid Architects have announced the breaking ground for the Centre of Mediterranean Culture in Reggio Calabria, Italy. The 24,000 square-meter structure houses diverse spaces, including a network of exhibition galleries, both permanent and temporary, capable of showcasing a wide range of displays. An integrated aquarium is a key feature, offering visitors a glimpse into the marine life of the Strait. The building also provides conference facilities, including a large auditorium suitable for performances, presentations, and industry events. Dedicated educational spaces are incorporated to support the region's schools, and visitor amenities include a bookshop and a restaurant and bar overlooking the port.

+ 3

The United Kingdom Government has announced the shortlisted design teams for the national memorial dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II, following the first stage of a two-stage open competition that attracted creative talent from the UK and beyond. The five teams moving forward in the competition are Foster + Partners with Yinka Shonibare and Michel Desvigne Paysagiste; Heatherwick Studio with Halima Cassell, MRG Studio, Webb Yates, and Arup; J&L Gibbons with Michael Levine RDI, William Matthews Associates, Structure Workshop, and Arup; Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects, Adam Lowe (Factum Arte), and Structure Workshop; and WilkinsonEyre with Lisa Vandy, Fiona Clark, Andy Sturgeon Design, Atelier One, and Hilson Moran.

In 1902, physicist Philipp Lenard discovered that the breaking of water droplets in waves, waterfalls, rain, or mist releases negative ions into the air. This occurs because, upon breaking, the droplets separate their electrical charges: electrons, which are smaller and lighter, adhere to suspended particles in the air, while positive charges remain in the water or dissipate quickly. This phenomenon increases the concentration of negative ions in the environment, which can directly influence our body and mind, interacting with neurotransmitters and essential cellular functions. It is no coincidence that many people report feelings of well-being, energy, and mental clarity after spending time at beaches, waterfalls, or forests. In Japan, this connection with nature is explored in the practice of Shinrin-Yoku, or "forest bathing," which promotes relaxation and revitalization simply through contact with the natural environment.

The Brick Award is presented every two years to honor innovative, sustainable, and visionary brick architecture worldwide. The upcoming Brick Award 26 will be celebrated in June 2026. Architects, designers, and developers are encouraged to submit projects that showcase creativity and functionality using clay building materials. This prestigious award recognizes excellence across various categories and offers a global platform to highlight the versatility and potential of bricks in contemporary architecture. Submissions for the Brick Award 26 are open until March 9, 2025, offering a unique chance for international recognition. Participation does not require the use of wienerberger products.