In a moment in history when some seek alternatives on other planets and others find refuge in virtual worlds, paradoxically, the future seems to be Earth. This may be one of the significant lessons that 2023 has taught architecture. Understanding this also implies becoming aware that our planet is depleting before our eyes—and a generous portion of this responsibility belongs to the production chains involved in architecture and construction.
If there is still something that can be done to mitigate the climate and environmental crisis in which we find ourselves, it will necessarily involve a revision of all the paradigms that define the industry. It is necessary to change focus and seek other narratives on which to sustain the ways of making architecture on a planetary scale. These ideas resonated in many voices this year, and, at the same time as the possibility of a future for the planet was debated, equal attention was given to the scale, values, and local cultures. The selected interviews here tell stories about the community, environment, cities, practices, and new narratives for architecture in 2023 and beyond.
The Climat de France is a French colonial social housing project in Algeria designed by Fernand Pouillon and currently renamed Oued Koriche. Located approximately 8km west of the country’s capital, Algiers, it was built from 1954 to 1957, right in the middle of the Algerian War of Independence. The project has several buildings with different scales. Its most prominent structure is a large rectangular building that houses 3000 dwellings, along with a spacious interior square similar to a Roman forum and exterior windows inspired by the mosaics found in Islamic architecture.
This social housing scheme has a complex history, involving the integration of Algerians into the French lifestyle, the use of modern architecture to challenge traditional Muslim ways of living, and the transformation of its collective square into a site of protest and rebellion.
The biannual International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture returns for its 2024 edition, inviting students from all over the world to innovate on the theme of daylight in architecture, specifically, to envision the "Light of Tomorrow." This broad theme has encapsulated the award since its launch in 2004. Since then, over 6,000 projects from 130 countries have been submitted that adopt an open-minded, experimental approach to daylight in the built environment.
Designed by Powerhouse Company, the BaanTower has started construction in the remodeled Baan Quarter neighborhood of Rotterdam. The residential tower strives to promote a sustainable architecture based on the well-being of its residents. Upon completion, the high-rise will house 427 apartments available for rent. Seven years after the original draft, the project has recently received its building permit, and is expected to be completed by 2026.
Pantone has just just announced “Peach Fuzz” or PANTONE 13-1023,” the 2024 Color of the Year. Known for its color standards and digital solutions in the design community, Pantone announced the color aiming to move towards empathy and understanding. A hue between pink and orange, the color is soft and inviting and offers “tenderness and communicating a message of caring, community, and collaboration.”
In several cities in Brazil, the amount of rainfall has already surpassed the total accumulated for the rest of the year. Flooding, inundations, and landslides are commonplace news in regional newspapers. In this chaotic scenario, a study presented by the National Confederation of Municipalities states that, amidst the rains in the south and drought in the north, 5.8 million Brazilians have been directly affected by disasters in 2023, whether by loss of lives, displacements, or significant economic damages.
Unfortunately, the outlook is not promising either. The national version of the renowned IPCC climate change report, compiled by the Brazilian Panel on Climate Change (PBMC), has already warned that Brazil, along with other countries in Latin America, will not only experience rising temperatures due to climate change but will also witness a drastic shift in its rainfall patterns. In other words, here in the south, we better get used to the sound of rain on our windows, while the north should brace for historic droughts.
Lake Tonle Sap is a part of Cambodia’s inland water system that’s connected to the flooded forests that purify water and buffer communities from storms—an important benefit as climate change makes extreme weather more frequent. Every year from June to November, the Mekong Delta backs up into Lake Tonle Sap, creating water-depth fluctuations of up to 10 meters. The result is that land-based buildings are inundated during the rainy season, then refurbished and reoccupied again after the water recedes.
Arquitectos, Play You Are in Sharjah, 2023. Photo by Danko Stjepanovic. Image Courtesy of Sharjah Architecture Triennial
Inaugurated on November 11, 2023, and running until March 10, 2024, the Sharjah Architecture Triennial serves as a metaphor drawing attention to the design and technological innovations within the built environment, particularly in the global south. The exhibition features contributions from 29 architects and studios spanning 25 countries. Building upon Venice's global platform for experimentation at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition, the 2023 Triennial embarks on a similar journey, creating space for voices and discussions often overlooked in global exhibitions and unveiling elements that have long existed but remained unseen. With a keen awareness of the global south, but also of the global north, and an understanding of the polarities between them, as articulated by curator Tosin Oshinowo, this second edition of the exhibition focuses on "The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability."
Celebrating everything that exists, especially in the global south where places thrive amidst scarcity, the triennial adopts an optimistic approach, drawing lessons from current situations and revealing the value and sophistication of alternative responses that have emerged due to resource constraints. “We're able to celebrate them. We're able to learn from them”, adds the curator. The triennial aims to comprehend a more sustainable, accessible, and equitable future—a collective effort to address the challenges of climate change, explore the built environment, and embrace under-celebrated regional traditions. Highlighting solutions that have endured the course of time and others responding to contemporary difficulties, "The Beauty of Impermanence" emphasizes the necessity of nuanced hybridity essential for our urbanized world.
Renovation of Marcel Breuer's Robert C. Weaver Federal Building / Brooks + Scarpa. Image Courtesy of Brooks + Scarpa
Exploring architectural projects, competition entries and unbuilt works by renowned architects is an important step in fostering innovation and encouraging cross-cultural exchange and the development of diverse design approaches. Analyzing these unrealized concepts can offer insights into the evolution of architectural thinking, exploring a wider spectrum of approaches and design perspectives. This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights designs submitted by established architecture practices.
Featuring internationally recognized offices like Brooks + Scarpa, Penoyre & Prasad, Aedas, Pininfarina, and Opposite Office, this selection exemplifies the wide range of projects and interventions designed by architects at various scales and programs. From creative reimaginings of well-known architectural icons to art museums, urban insertions, and conceptual activist proposals, these projects demonstrate the variety of approaches architects take when designing within a specific context and in response to local constraints, challenges and opportunities.
In the ever-evolving realm of architectural design, the trajectory of visualization technologies is propelling us into a future where creativity knows no bounds. A number of new tools are at the forefront of this revolution, offering architects and designers new software that redefine the boundaries of architectural visualization. In this article, we delve into one of these tools, Eyecad VR, and its strengths, exploring how its real-time rendering, immersive experiences, virtual reality capabilities, and extensive 3D asset library are helping reshape the landscape of architectural design.
The MPavilion represents one of the most important architectural events happening annually in Melbourne, Australia. Initiated and founded by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, the event was first launched in 2014 and has since brought internationally recognized architects to design a temporary structure in Melbourne's Queen Victoria Gardens in a system similar to London’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. From Sean Godsell's solar-actioned panels to Studio Mumbai‘s experimental bamboo structure, each pavilion explores craftsmanship and contemporary design while fostering a rich cultural program for several months before being disassembled and donated to one of the city’s parks. As the latest pavilion was recently inaugurated by Tadao Ando, we look back at the previous editions of Australia’s most famous annual structure.
CHYBIK+KRISTOF has won an international competition to design a multifunctional tower as a significant part of Tirana’s evolving landscape. The structure is situated in the heart of the capital city’s culture hub within the New Boulevard, reflecting a shift in Tirana’s urban development. With its distinctive red concrete silhouette, it aims to create a new landmark, signaling the commencement of various other projects outlined in the masterplan.
Amid the ongoing environmental crisis, bioeconomy has gained significance across different domains, particularly in the construction sector, where efforts there is a push to enhance sustainability. This shift in mindset has also influenced the realm of interior architecture. With a growing awareness of climate change and the imperative to protect our planet, architects and designers are increasingly embracing biomaterials. The result is the creation of spaces that not only captivate visually but also demonstrate a proactive commitment to the environment.
The world of architecture is a captivating fusion of artistic expression and scientific precision. My journey in the realm of architecture started with a profound exploration of its rich history. It was the awe-inspiring works of Renaissance masters that propelled me onto a transformative trajectory, guiding me toward harnessing the immense potential of artificial intelligence and algorithms in architectural design.
“Two brains are better than one,” goes the old saying. And with good reason. As the social beings that we are, humans thrive through interpersonal interactions and the dynamic exchange of ideas. It is these collective thoughts that tend to flourish, evolve and reach their full potential, fueled by a diversity of perspectives and experiences. That is precisely why teamwork stands as one of the most valued pillars of any working environment, and also explains why office workers spend an average of 37% of their time every week sitting in meetings. It’s no surprise then that modern office settings embrace meeting rooms as designated spaces for collaborative ideation and decision-making. But not in the way many might imagine. Gone are the days of bland conference rooms with nothing but a large table, uncomfortable chairs and white walls, giving way to new, more innovative models that respond to a shifting paradigm.
In 2022, a wider audience gained access to unexpectedly powerful AI tools, including Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and DALL-E 2 for text-to-image generation, as well as the human-like chatbot OpenGPT.
One year later, pundits, organizations, and governments have stated these technologies will pose profound risks to society and humanity—from automation-spurred job loss to disrupting democratic processes to the automatization of weapons.
Traditionally relegated to roofs, photovoltaic (PV) panels tend to have a uniform appearance: large black or dark blue rectangular pieces of shiny glass with metal frames. Partly because dark colors better harvest sunlight to be turned into electricity, but also because silicon –the primary material used in most high-efficiency photovoltaic panels– tends to be dark in its crystalline form. Fortunately, there are now technologies to control luster, color and finish that provide aesthetic variety while maintaining high efficiency. SolarLab and other manufacturers are redefining conventional solar panels, introducing design flexibility and material qualities that allow architects to take advantage of large facade surfaces to generate renewable energy without compromising architecturally.
Sir John Soane’s Museum has announced French architecture practice Lacaton & Vassal as the recipient of the 2023 Soane Medal. The award comes in recognition of the office’s work spanning over 3 decades. Through an honest design approach, the office became known for the resourceful repurposing of materials and existing structures to prioritize the needs of residents and local communities. For this approach, the office has been previously awarded as the 2021 Pritzker Prize 2021 Laureate.
Foster + Partners has unveiled the plans for a new multi-purpose design in the heart of Miami Beach. “The Aalton” is a six-story building encompassing ground-level retail, offices, and residential spaces. Positioned at the intersection of Aalton Road and Lincoln Road, the renowned pedestrian shopping street, the building embraces Florida’s architectural heritage.
As the temperature drops in the Northern Hemisphere, cold outdoor spaces are overcome with frost, ice, and snow, and we find ourselves rushing from one heated indoor environment to the next, less willing or less able to stop and appreciate the natural world around us.
Apart from dragging a spruce or fir tree inside and dressing it up in yuletide costume, we tend to leave the real natural world to its own seasonal devices until it reemerges in Spring. However, by inviting the positive effects of plant life into our homes, we can improve both our mental health and the air we breathe by filling them with peace and joy all year round, not just at Christmas.
Spacon & X is a Copenhagen-based design and architecture studio that works to create spatial identity across different mediums. Their cross-disciplinary work boasts a fusion between traditionally separated fields, contributing to a holistic physical brand experience. Chosen by ArchDaily as part of our 2023 New Practices, the studio works with an explorative approach to architecture, design, event planning, and production.
The studio is run by three partners who each come from different backgrounds: Architecture, Fashion Design, and Scenographic Design. In an interview with Nikoline Dyrup Carlsen, Svend Jacob Pedersen, and Malene Hvidt, ArchDaily delves into their practice, exploring their distinct skill sets and their collaborative and exploratory work ethic. The interview also goes beyond the practice, discussing their unique methodology and commercial business development strategy. Housing 25 employees with various backgrounds, the studio includes architects, carpenters, building constructors, and craft makers and is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of design and architecture.
In order to secure the food supply for Berlin's rapidly growing population at the end of the 19th century, the Kornversuchsspeicher was built in 1898 on the former site of the Hamburger and Lehrter freight depots. A building with a scientific mission, it served to research new storage methods for grain. After years of vacancy and then interim use as a creative space, the brick building has been carefully renovated in recent years by AFF Architekten, extended with the addition of a seventh floor and transformed into a modern event, gastronomy and office building, with a focus on fully preserving its industrial charm. This was a project that called for great expertise in all areas, including from Solarlux, the specialist called upon for customized window and facade solutions.
Solar heating has existed in architecture since ancient times, when people used adobe and stone walls to trap heat during the day and slowly release it at night. In its modern form, however, solar heating first developed in the 1920s, when European architects began experimenting with passive solar methods in mass housing. In Germany, Otto Haesler, Walter Gropius, and others designed schematic Zeilenbau flats that optimized sunlight, and following the import of “heliotropic housing” to the U.S., wartime fuel shortages during World War II quickly popularized passive solar heating. Variations of this system then proliferated around the world, but it was not until 1967 that the first Trombe wall was implemented by architect Jacques Michel in Odeillo, France. Named after engineer Felix Trombe, the system combines glass and a dark, heat-absorbing material to conduct heat slowly into the house.
https://www.archdaily.com/946732/how-does-a-trombe-wall-workLilly Cao
A new set of images showcases BIG's One High Line development nearing completion. Located on the ‘Architecture Row’ in New York, the coupled twisting towers share the Hudson River skyline with neighbors such as Frank Gehry’s IAC building, Renzo Piano’s Whitney Museum of American Art, and Jean Nouvel’s The Chelsea Nouvel ('100 Eleventh Avenue'), along with future works by Thomas Heatherwick and other renown architects. The two condominium towers designed by BIG are organized to define a central public courtyard, activating the public space with retail and commercial facilities. The towers’ exterior and the majority of the interior are completed, with the courtyard expected to be finished by early 2024.
