Can telling the story of one building tell a larger story about the city it’s a part of? That’s the central premise of John King’s engaging new book, Portal: San Francisco’s Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities (W.W. Norton). The long-time urban design critic for the San Francisco Chronicle has written a brisk, lively history of this beloved edifice, which opened in 1898 and served as the principal gateway to the city until the emergence of the automobile (and the bridges that served them).
For decades it sat largely empty and neglected, cordoned off by the Embarcadero Freeway. After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, the damaged highway was eventually removed, freeing up the Ferry Building, which was given new life as a transportation hub, food hall, and office building. Last week I talked to King about the genesis for the book, the terminal’s seminal importance to the city of San Francisco, and the threat it faces from rising sea levels.
Surrounded by water and with a distinctly energetic vibe, Danish architecture studio BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group has based its new headquarters in Copenhagen's flourishing harbor district, Nordhavn. With its newly constructed office building, the design pioneers are striving to showcase the art of blending technology, innovation and creativity while also designing a space that nurtures inventiveness and fosters a sense of community in the workplace.
When we conceive an architectural project, it is crucial to transcend mere aesthetics and consider all aspects of our material decisions. The spaces where we live, work, and interact should not only be visually pleasing but also contribute to our safety and comfort. What if, in addition, they could improve air quality and reduce the amount of pathogens on surfaces? This is why the selection of materials plays a fundamental role, and architects and specifiers need to strive to acquire as much knowledge as possible about the materials and systems they incorporate into their projects.
The tenth edition of the MPavilion opens in Queen Victoria Gardens in Melbourne, Australia. The structure was designed by Pritzker Prize-winner Tadao Ando, marking the architect’s first built project in Australia. The pavilion follows his signature use of geometric shapes in harmony with the natural landscape and the precise use of exposed concrete. On November 16, 2023, the official opening inaugurates the space with a public celebration and a wide array of art commissions selected by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. The MPavilion will remain free and open to the public from 16 November to 28 March 2024, inviting visitors to engage with its diverse cultural program and find opportunities for contemplation and tranquility in its spaces.
The Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023 opened on November 11, 2023, with a wide program focused on the overarching theme of The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability. While on-site in Sharjah, the ArchDaily team had the chance to sit down with curator Tosin Oshinowo and discuss her curatorial view, the development of the main themes of the program, and the larger principles and intentions behind the event. Informed by her experience growing up in Lagos, Oshinowo has focused the Triennale on the celebration of places that thrive under conditions of scarcity and the alternative models that the Global South can provide in working towards a more equitable and livable future.
In July, Las Vegas unveiled an extravagant spectacle - a colossal LED-wrapped spherical structure, standing 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide. This entertainment event venue instantly captured the public's gaze, becoming a local landmark and attracting global attention through extensive news coverage. Similar spherical concepts have been proposed in London and at a smaller scale in Los Angeles. These massive display structures open up questions about facades as digital canvases. What role can architecture take as an urban canvas other than as a billboard? And what are different ways for architecture to engage the public through digital art besides gigantic LED spheres?
Within the shifts in architectural movements and styles, furniture design has also evolved throughout the years, transitioning from elaborate curvy lines and opulent materials to simple and functional layouts, and back again, in constant movement. As it continues to evolve, contemporary furniture design is often influenced by technological advances, exploring digital fabrication and user-centered design, while also responding to sustainable strategies. These innovations have elevated custom furniture design, crafting unique pieces tailored to individual needs, preferences, and space specifications.
With the ability to adapt to each user, bespoke furniture design creates unique pieces crafted to meet individual needs, preferences, and space specifications. Delving into augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), Tylko creates customized, long-lasting, and sustainable solutions for sideboards, wall storage, bookcases, wardrobes and TV stands. Analyzing their tech-forward approach to creating endless possibilities of made-to-measure furniture, we showcase their design process experience, along with their intuitive online configurator and augmented reality app.
Tadao Ando has revealed the designs for a new performing arts center in Sharjah’s Aljada. “II Teatro” is a 2000-seat auditorium with a gallery and an event space and will serve as a focal point within the Aljada master plan. Dedicated to art, culture, and design, the Naseej district will house the theater with a multi-layered cultural plaza. In collaboration with local developer Arada, The scheme is expected to be completed in 2027, acting as a true reflection of Tadao Ando’s architectural simplicity.
Lithuania's architectural narrative is a mosaic of diverse influences and styles, representing its historical evolution, cultural heritage, and resilience through changing times. Despite a focus on traditional craftsmanship, functional minimalism, and sustainable materials, the country's design language has been profoundly influenced by its geopolitical position and historical events, resulting in a blend of styles from different periods. A key factor that cuts across all expressions, however, is Lithuanian architecture's seamless connection with its natural surroundings.
The role of a school is to prepare children for life. But with life-changing faster than ever, schools need to change just as quickly. Recent additions to school curriculums reflect the complexities of modern life, with environmental crises, societal injustices, and the dangers of social media now major parts of the syllabus.
Although it’s often said that long-term change begins at ground-level, change is never easy, wherever it starts. For example, a curriculum that responds to environmental issues is said to cause growing instances of eco-anxiety in children, one of a number of causes of another crisis, in children’s mental health.
Although considered common practice today, the concept of hand hygiene was not initially deeply ingrained in society. It wasn't until 1847 when the Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis, supported by scientific evidence, proposed that hand washing was a hygienic measure with a direct impact on people's health. From this point on, the rest is history. Hand hygiene has become a widespread practice, ranging from washing to drying, accompanied by various accessories that play specific roles in the process.
In contemporary environments, especially in the context of collective well-being, public restrooms have become a focal point. This shift in focus is, in part, a response to the post-pandemic emphasis on hygiene and the role of restroom accessories in these settings. Among the accessories available, hand dryers have garnered significant importance, even transcending their primary function. In light of this, Mediclinics has innovated by introducing a new hand dryer concept that places a strong emphasis on enhancing the user experience while offering innovative restroom equipment with a distinctive U-shaped design.
https://www.archdaily.com/1009500/hands-in-to-hands-through-a-new-generation-of-hygienic-and-aesthetic-hand-dryersEnrique Tovar
Humans have always been fascinated by reflections. Although they are no more than light bouncing back after striking a surface, there will always be something mystical and fascinating about them –whether it be a lake mirroring a beautiful landscape or a small hand mirror reflecting our face. This explains why some ancient cultures considered mirrors to be sacred objects with magical powers, while others associated them with portals leading to an unknown world. Since then, mirrors have evolved to adopt many valuable functions that are indispensable in everyday life, being found in cars, medical equipment and, of course, in countless architectural applications, especially in interiors. Experimenting with the reflection and perception of space has become an easy way for architects, designers and homeowners to transform any room. And when looking to maximize this impact, the power of exceptionally large mirrors is unparalleled. After all, the bigger the mirror, the bigger the impact.
Nanaimo Cruise Ship Terminal. Image Courtesy of Checkwitch Poiron Architects & HA Photography
Design confidence is crucial to the team at Checkwitch Poiron Architects. If they can be confident in their design, then it becomes much easier to advocate for it with clients. The team builds that confidence with flexible software and cultural awareness.
Nowadays, we spend over 90% of our time indoors, and it is becoming increasingly evident that architecture has a profound influence on our brains and bodies. The interest in comprehending how the environment affects human well-being is on the rise, with a growing number of new studies on this subject emerging each year. Moreover, architecture firms are increasingly enlisting the expertise of researchers and human experience design consultants to explore and optimize these effects.
Synonyms for ‘dark’ read like a who’s who of negativity. Words like ‘gloom’, ‘murk’, and ‘despair’ are a world away from the light and airy interiors we’re told to covet by magazines and influencers. But for many people who look for tranquillity in the bathroom, there is comfort to be found in the dark.
Many of us tend to close our eyes while searching for peace and mindfulness. In turning off the sense of sight we can retreat inside of ourselves, and focus on our own self-care. These four dark bathrooms from the ArchDaily catalog use this theory of peaceful darkness to create calming bathrooms with low, ambient lighting; natural materials, and dark surfaces.
In the last three years, we have gone from asking ourselves how we will live together to doubting if we can ever live together.
Despite the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the anticipated urban transformations resulting from it have yet to materialize. Global polarization and geopolitical unrest have us fixated on immediate issues, overshadowing our outlook for the future.
https://www.archdaily.com/1009691/the-supporters-newsletter-issue-number-6ArchDaily Team
Chris Bosse started LAVA, Laboratory for Visionary Architecture, with his partners Tobias Wallisser and Alexander Rieck the year Watercube, the Aquatics Centre for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics was completed. Bosse was one of the leading designers of Watercube when he worked at PTW Architects in Sydney. Now LAVA employs about 100 people in four offices in Ho Chi Minh City,Sydney, Stuttgart, and Berlin. There are also two satellite offices in Honduras and Parma, Italy, led by former associates. Projects range from furniture to houses and hotels to master plans, urban centers, and airports in the Middle East, Central America, Europe, Australia, and Vietnam.
Bradbury Works / [Y/N] Studio. Image Courtesy of [Y/N] Studio
In the contemporary context, global warming has marked a turning point in the way we think about architecture. We are witnessing record temperatures on our planet and a challenging panorama in many large cities, characterized by heatwaves and, in some cases, more severe winters. These circumstances have triggered a cycle in which the demand for heating and cooling systems increases, which, in turn, translates into higher energy and operating costs for buildings.
Given this situation, it becomes imperative to design energy-efficient buildings to reduce both the environmental impact and the associated costs. One of the strategies to achieve this is to properly plan the facade, which, serving a function similar to the building's skin, can help reduce the energy required for heating and cooling. In this context, the polycarbonate panels developed by Rodeca contribute to the energy efficiency of buildings, in addition to their lightweight, slender construction, and translucent aesthetics.
https://www.archdaily.com/1009134/ecological-lightweight-and-slender-energy-efficient-architecture-with-translucent-polycarbonateEnrique Tovar
Moving away from top-down approaches, contemporary practices embrace more inclusive and participatory models and design processes. Participatory planning, a notion that prioritizes involving the entire community in the decision-making process, has earned widespread recognition and popularity globally. Cities across the world have interpreted participatory planning to fit their unique needs, using technology and government resources to expedite and enhance the process.
Representing a fusion of innovation and convenience, a smart home can be defined as an environment in which one or more devices are connected and can be controlled remotely, either through a smartphone or voice commands. Automation, or home automation, is an advanced technology that has become increasingly accessible and popular. It enables tasks ranging from efficiently controlling lighting and room temperature to managing security devices, entertainment systems, and voice-activated personal assistants. Smart homes empower residents with continuous and user-friendly control over their environment. This dynamic synergy of automation and connectivity not only promotes efficiency and resource conservation but also opens new horizons in customization and comfort, envisioning a future where homes adapt to the needs and preferences of their occupants, making life simpler and more enjoyable. However, these systems often require the installation of new cables and wiring to build the necessary infrastructure, as well as the hiring of highly specialized labor, which can often make their implementation impractical.
Of Palm / Abdalla Almula. Image Courtesy of Abdalla Almula
Happening between November 7 and 12, Dubai Design Week 2023 brought together over 500 designers, architects, and creative practitioners to explore the relationship between traditional practices and emerging technologies in an effort to create more environmental sustainability and design-led social impact solutions. As one of the most important cultural events in the Middle East, the festival brings forward a wide offering of installations, artworks, and immersive experiences, all exploring important topics of eco-friendly design.
This year’s interventions and installations drew inspiration from the region’s natural ecosystems as well as local traditions and craftsmanship while merging these practices with innovative technologies, biomaterial explorations, and reimagined ways of practicing. Across the interventions, a recurring motif emerges, that of celebrating Middle Eastern heritage and engaging productively with vernacular practices.
