The use of steel in architecture is considered as one of the most innovative construction developments in history, allowing architects to create structures in scales they never thought they could. Fast-forward a few centuries, and steel remains as one of the most crucial materials in architecture. But there is a lot more to the material than just tensile strength and durability, some architects were well-aware of steel's potential and transformed it into lighting fixtures, facades, decorative elements, and finishes.

Here are 15 projects where architects looked beyond steel as structural support and explored its diverse possibilities in architecture.

+ 11

Videos

Past, Present, Future is an interview project by Itinerant Office, asking acclaimed architects to share their perspectives on the constantly evolving world of architecture. Each interview is split into three video segments: Past, Present, and Future, in which interviewees discuss their thoughts and experiences of architecture through each of those lenses. The first episode of the project featured 11 architects from Italy and the Netherlands and Episode II is comprised of interviews with 13 architects from Spain, Portugal, France, and Belgium.

The goal of the series is to research these successful firms and attempt to understand their methods and approaches. By hopefully gaining a clearer picture of what it means to be an architect in the 21st century, the videos can also serve as inspiration for the next generation of up-and-coming architects and students as they enter the field.

João Luís Carrilho da Graça is a Portuguese architect, lecturer, and founder of Carrilho da Graça Arquitectos. In addition to his award-winning projects, the architect has taught at the Technical University of Lisbon, guest-lectured at the Autonomous University of Lisbon and University of Évora, and has been invited to several universities, seminars and conferences all over the world. His work mostly focuses on public projects, creating uniquely-designed spaces for the community.

Design practice Ad Hoc Architecture has created a new proposal for a hotel inside Volsovskaya cave in rural Russia. Dubbed the Vels Hotel, the project is located on the banks of the Vishera River and adjacent to the River Wels. The hotel emerges from the cave and terraces down to the water. Intimately linked to the landscape, the design was made to be a synthesis of the Ural mountains, cultural history and modern architecture.

+ 14

Design practices Snøhetta and Blight Rayner Architecture have been selected to design a new theater for what will become Australia's largest performing arts center in Brisbane. Beating out 23 other teams, the winning proposal for the Queensland Performing Arts Center features a $150 million theater, the fifth for the center. The concept aims to bring a new image to the Gibson precinct while respecting the site's history and context.

+ 3

Gustafson Porter + Bowman have been selected to reimagine the landscape of the Eiffel Tower, seeing off tough competition from three other finalists and 42 entries. Titled OnE, the scheme is founded on a unifying axis: celebrating the Eiffel Tower at the center of a line that connects the Place du Trocadéro, the Palais de Chaillot, the Pont d’Iéna, the Champ de Mars and the Ecole Militaire.

+ 2

Carlo Ratti Associati has won an international competition for Reinventing Cities, with the design of a new research center placed under a 200-meter-long (650-foot-long) vineyard. Situated close to Milan’s Fondazione Prada, the VITAE project will connect the street level to the roof via a seamless footpath, and will contain a new office building and center for scientific research.

The Aranya Art Center in Qinhuangdao, China has been completed, designed by Neri&Hu. Situated in a seaside environment, the scheme was designed to evoke notions of space for art versus communal space. Despite the straightforward brief for the art center, the scheme reaches further to become a communal space for residents in the deeply spiritual community.

+ 4

What happens when the sensor-imbued city acquires the ability to see – almost as if it had eyes? Ahead of the 2019 Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB), titled "Urban Interactions," ArchDaily is working with the curators of the "Eyes of the City" section at the Biennial to stimulate a discussion on how new technologies – and Artificial Intelligence in particular – might impact architecture and urban life. Here you can read the “Eyes of the City” curatorial statement by Carlo Ratti, the Politecnico di Torino and SCUT. If you are interested in taking part in the exhibition at UABB 2019, submit your proposal to the “Eyes of the City” Open Call by May 31st, 2019: www.eyesofthecity.net

Design studio 3GATTI has created a new proposal for a contemporary fire station along Lecco Lake in Italy. Inspired by the concept of green flames and red blazes, the symbol of the Italian Fire Brigade, the team aimed to integrate the new headquarters of the Lecco Fire Department inside the landscape of the Lecco Lake. The project creates an iconic green landmark with a signature façade created by a tower and green slabs.

+ 2

After 2 weeks of voting in our second edition of the Refurbishment in Architecture Awards, our readers have narrowed down over 700 projects to 16 finalists, representing the best architectural refurbishment projects published on ArchDaily. With finalists from four continents, this award developed in partnership with MINI Clubman clearly demonstrates the global importance of refurbishment architecture as a method of achieving sustainable development and flexible, living cities.

Now that the finalists have been selected, the second stage of the Award is now underway to narrow down these 16 projects to just three winners. Read on and use the links below to cast your vote for the overall winner, or visit the award website here.

Design practices SO-IL and West 8 have won a competition to redesign a 37-acre cultural hub along New York's Niagara Gorge. The project will include a renovated main stage and an outdoor ampitheatre, as well as a series of pathways, galleries and viewing stations integrated into the canyon. The teams are tasked with the development of a strategy to revitalize the Artpark grounds, while improving connectivity, facilities and programs.

Around the world campaigners, cities, and governments are declaring a state of emergency in response to accelerating global warming. Meanwhile systemic inequality continues to entrench deep divides between those who have far too little, and those who have far too much. In this unprecedented moment, an urgent question is cast into relief: how should architecture respond to a time of climate emergency and social division?

The Van Alen Institute is collaborating with the City of North Miami to announce a request for qualifications for transforming the city’s flood-prone vacant lots. The competition asks how can we reimagine underutilized communal spaces to bring the community together and adapt to climate impacts over time, and to repurpose the sites to reduce the cost of flood insurance.

Media channel the slowdown has released the latest episode in their Time Sensitive podcast series, featuring an interview by Andrew Zuckerman with BIG founder Bjarke Ingels. The episode, titled “Bjarke Ingels to Cities: Take a Longer View,” sees Ingels communicate the value and world-changing potential of architecture, and reflect on his own career.

It is expected that within the next few of decades, Earth will have absolutely nothing left to offer whoever/whatever is capable of surviving on it. Although the human race is solely responsible for the damages done to the planet, a thin silver lining can still be seen if radical changes were to be done to the way we live on Earth and how we sustain it.

Since architects and designers carry a responsibility of building a substantial future, we have put together an A-Z list of every sustainability term that you might come across. Every week, a new set of letters will be published, helping you stay well-rounded on everything related to sustainable architecture and design. Here are the terms that start with letters D, E, and F.

One month on from the devastating fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, the architectural community as generated a bounty of responses focusing on the future of the landmark. While some have taken the opportunity to re-imagine the purpose of the monument, from urban farming to recreational parkland, others have focused on sensitive restoration.

Toronto & Dubai based Machou Architects Group, founded by Nedal Machou, has designed the world's longest urban agriculture park for Dubai. Designed to transform the city's most vital highway into an eco-valley, the project has been developed in response to the lack of functional public spaces and sustainable outdoor spaces. Reimagining Sheikh Zayed Road, the project centers on Dubai's main transportation artery and its primary link to other cities.

+ 10

The TWA Hotel has opened at JFK Airport in New York. Centered on the careful restoration of Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 former Trans World Airlines terminal, the hotel features 512 soundproof guest rooms, restaurants, and retail outlets. The project was led by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, with two new hotel wings designed by LUBRANO CIAVARRA Architects and Stonehill Taylor, and a 50,000 square meter events center by INC Architecture & Design.

+ 19

+ 2

Talieh Ghane researches the interaction between light and health at the California Lighting Technology Center. We talked about the biological vs. visual system of light, how to synchronize your circadian clock for better health, how light is like a drug, and why you shouldn’t be on your phone right before bed (guilty).