As the week comes to an end, Milan Design Week wraps up yet another successful year of creativity and innovation. Thousands of design companies displayed their creations to more than 200,000 visitors hailing from different countries, demographics, and career backgrounds. Although the design fair gravitated towards the world of interior design, many renowned architects participated in the week-long exhibition and joined their forces with interior and furniture design experts.

Along with the impressive collaborations that these architects created with lighting companies, take a look at how they used their expertise in forms and structures to develop unique furniture pieces.

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A Green Spaceship appears to have landed in Villaverde, Madrid, in design firm 3GATTI’s proposal for the new municipal library. The design for the landmark building employs the public’s curiosity to draw visitors in and create an iconic presence in the city. The library is split between two floors, both architecturally and conceptually. The ground level is transparent and open, meant to house the noisy, public aspects of the program; the upper floor is the architectural showpiece, floating above the ground and containing the more private, quiet study spaces.

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"About one year ago we were hard at work, doing our best to come up with a proposal that could have a shot at winning the next edition of the world-famous eVolo Skyscraper Competition. Here’s our account of how we were able to achieve that and some tips and insights we were asked to share that you might hopefully find useful if you plan on following in our footsteps".
Original text by: Damian Granosik, Jakub Kulisa and Piotr Pańczyk.

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San Antonio based architecture firm Overland Partners have designed a series of proposals for new 3D printed neighborhoods in Texas. Teaming up with nonprofit, 3 Strands Neighborhoods, and ICON, a creator of printers, robotics, and advanced materials, the firm utilized the Vulcan II 3D printer to revolutionize home building. The collaboration aims to address the housing crisis in America and establish a sense of community for disadvantaged families.

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This article was originally published on CommonEdge as "What Landscape Architects and Urban Designers Can Learn About Public Space From Cuba."

It was certainly what I had come for: I was sitting on broad, cobbled steps, watching people interact in the public realm. It was an August afternoon in Cuba, and I had found temporary respite from the harsh sun beneath a haphazard array of trees. My design work as a landscape architect focuses on urban parks, streetscapes, and academic campuses, and I wanted to see how differently the open spaces of Cuba might function.

OMA has won a masterplanning competition for the redevelopment of the Scalo Farini and San Cristoforo sites, two disused railway yards north and south of the periphery of Milan. Led by OMA’s Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli and Reinier de Graaf, and co-designed with Laboratorio Permanente, the “Agenti Climatici” scheme revolves around concepts of ecological filters and adaptable development. The OMA scheme triumphed over finalists including Baukuh, Arup, Grimshaw, and Kengo Kuma.

Steven Holl Architects has been commissioned to design a new 26,000-square-meter mixed-use building for CIFI Group in Beijing. The retail/office scheme will be Holl’s second building in Beijing, located in the Fengtai area of the city. The design for the hybrid building is centered on five principles: light, structure, urban porosity, open offices, and ecology.

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Designers at this year's Milan Design Week drew inspiration from everything and anything around them. Many were inspired by the serenity of nature, some by picturesque vintage pieces, and others by tokens from their youth. Although inspiration often comes unannounced in the most unexpected places, the inspiration behind Sancal’s pavilion at this year’s Salone del Mobile, was encouraged by one simple, very common mistake.

During the 2017 Milan Design Week, the Spanish brand’s eccentric duo Esther and Elena made a wrong turn on Milan's metro station, ending up at the Turati station. That is when the light-bulb illuminated, and the duo found the backdrop for their upcoming collection, emerging from none other than the depths of Milan's underground systems.

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Few architects have had a greater influence on civic design and the public realm than Carol Ross Barney. Advocating that excellent design is a right, not a privilege, Carol's career is marked by her sensitivity. Born in Chicago, Illinois on April 12, 1949, her work is characterized by a desire to bring dignity to the needs of users and the public alike. With a career that spans over 40 years, Carol founded her firm Ross Barney Architects in 1981. She is known for shaping the built environment, the profession, and architectural education. As an architect, urbanist, mentor, and educator, her work upholds a deep commitment to people and place.

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Reacting to the influx of gargantuan, iconic museum buildings produced by China’s recent “museum boom,” MORE Architecture aimed to create an intricate, experiential space with their design for Ginkgo Gallery. The gallery, construction on which has now begun, was conceived as a humble merging of art and nature, part of a network of private museums in the Yangtze River Delta. Ginkgo Gallery also houses an auditorium and workshop space in an effort to make art a part of public life and educate children in contemporary art.

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Peter Zumthor has gained approval for a paired-back design for the LACMA expansion in Los Angeles. The proposal for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was part of a final environmental impact report submitted for the $650-million project. Undergoing a series of changes over previous years, the latest design will still branch over Wilshire Boulevard with amorphous, sand-colored concrete galleries. The new expansion plan reduces both the expansion's size and footprint.

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MAD Architects have revealed a new vision for New York City skyscrapers with a sinuous slender tower near the Empire State Building. Dubbed ‘East 34th’, the project was designed with a dark-colored glass facade that was made to fade into the atmosphere. Located adjacent to one of New York's most iconic structures, the project rethinks the city's rectilinear towers and sharp edges to create a new form for the Manhattan high-rise.

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LEGO has revealed the newest addition to its Architecture set. The "Trafalgar Square" set will feature London landmarks such as the National Gallery, Nelson’s Column, and accessories such as micro-lion statues, fountains, and the city’s famous red double-decker buses.

As Milan Design Week continues to set avant-garde design trends for the upcoming years, the 2019 Salone del Mobile’s lighting biennale, Euroluce, saw a nod to classic designs mixed with contemporary craftsmanship.

Two dominant trends at this year’s Euroluce are ‘rediscovering the past’ and a ‘reference to nature’. Vintage lighting pieces were rediscovered, not only to serve as valuable tokens of the past, but as foundation for new research. The reference to nature is evidently the most dominant design trend at this year’s lighting biennale, as designers found inspiration from natural, organic forms, and produced their pieces with eco-friendly material.

However, some of the most unique pieces at this year’s Euroluce were developed in collaboration with heavyweights in the world of design. Profound architects found their way into the 2019 Euroluce, bringing together their design skills with the engineering solutions of design companies.

The Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitat have announced the winners of the 17th edition of the CTBUH Tall Building Awards. From 65 finalists, winners were chosen from several height ranges including Best Tall Building under 100 meters, Best Tall Building 100-199 meters, Best Tall Building 200-299 meters, and Best Tall Building over 400 meters. From these finalists, the CTBUH has also awarded the Best Tall Building award to Salesforce Tower (San Francisco) by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.

What can you learn from enterprising firms who push tech to new limits? It is time to be inspired to experiment with innovative technology that supports BIM. The software that opens projects up to unlimited possibilities is the one that helps you benefit from ground-breaking techniques. For firms, using ARCHICAD, 3D modeling photorealism and VR experiences are more than gimmicks. These technologies are part of a powerful toolset that opens the door to unlimited possibilities. Hear from the firms who have unlocked that power in By Design: The Next Frontier.

Foster + Partners' new Samson Health Pavilion celebrated its opening with a dedication ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio. Designed as part of the Health Education Campus at Case Western Reserve University, the project features an overhead canopy that leads to a grand internal courtyard. The pavilion was made as an investment in the future of health education for Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic.

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INSPIRELI AWARDS is proud to announce the first three projects entering into the contest finale. This global student contest enables new talents to tell their stories and raise awareness about their own world view before they get their chance to build it.

The following three projects were selected through the international semifinal jury based on originality and subsequently approved by the chairman of INSPIRELI AWARDS jury. All three projects will compete in the final for having his or her name engraved on the original “Wings to the Future” created by world-renowned designer Bořek Šípek.

From short supply and high demand to a lack of affordable options, housing in Los Angeles is a complex and prominent issue that deserves the attention of local universities. As the crisis continues to evolve, architecture and architectural education are vital parts of the discussion surrounding housing equity.

Architecture practice Broadway Malyan has designed a new campus for the Westminster School in Chengdu, China. Providing a new learning environment for one of the UK's leading independent schools, the project will be the first of six new schools built in China. Made to embrace the latest pedagogical thinking, the design also includes references to the famous Westminster Abbey as well as traditional British school vernacular of Victorian red brick with gable ends.

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