As global urbanization accelerates, the demand for forward-thinking urban development and construction strategies is more pressing than ever, with an estimated 80% of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2080—particularly in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. From 26 to 29 November, Big 5 Global, together with co-located events LiveableCitiesX, GeoWorld and Future FM, will host five strategic summits, bringing together 1,500 leaders from both government and the private sector to shape the future of urban communities.
The Türkiye Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale: Ghost Stories: The Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture. Image Courtesy of Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts
THE LINE, Phase One Strategic Partners. Image Courtesy of NEOM
NEOM has announced the appointment of new partners to advance the city planning, design, and engineering for the initial phase of THE LINE, a core component of its region in northwest Saudi Arabia. The collaboration brings together Delugan Meissl Associate Architects (DMAA), Gensler, and Mott MacDonald, who will work alongside THE LINE's design and development teams to shape the urban landscape, offering expertise in urban design, planning consultancy, and infrastructure development.
Espacio Escultórico de la UNAM. Image Cortesía de Andrés Cedillo
Integrating contemporary art with the landscape in a dialogue between human creation and the natural environment, the Sculpture Space of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) represents one of the most important public artworks in Latin America. Both the Sculpture Space and the Pedregal de San Ángel Ecological Reserve at UNAM in Mexico City have recently been awarded the Carlo Scarpa International Prize for Gardens 2023-2024, granted by the Benetton Foundation for Studies and Research based in Treviso, Italy. They were recognized for their high natural, historical, and cultural value as works of preservation and collective art that emerged from a lava surface where new neighborhoods and UNAM’s University City were developed.
John Pawson is a renowned British architect and designer, widely recognized for his minimalist approach, which values simplicity, proportion, and material authenticity. In his work, he explores space and light with depth, refining each element to its essence to create environments that promote tranquility and focus. His portfolio spans private homes, galleries, churches, and monasteries, each exemplifying his dedication to material purity and spatial harmony. By balancing clean lines, natural textures, and understated details, Pawson establishes a modern elegance and timeless quality that make him a pioneer of architectural minimalism.
Air travel has opened up multiple avenues for travel experiences. Lately, these transitional spaces have become destinations themselves, with airports like the Hong Kong International Airport and Incheon International Airport commanding over 60 million visitors per year. Airports are often the first and last impression of a city, and designers and city planners are recognizing their role in telling a place's brand story. As hubs of both travel and tourism, these airports aim to blend functionality with cultural engagement, offering passengers a taste of the local flavor before they even leave the terminal.
Highlighted submissions. Image Courtesy of Buildner
Buildner is pleased to announce the results of its second annual Architect's Chair Competition, which received excellent ideas from around the globe. As this competition series gains traction and interest, Buildner is excited to announce the launch of the Architect's Chair Edition 3 competition with a registration deadline of January 15, 2025. Buildner has also published its first book on the topic, highlighting key ideas and outstanding projects past editions.
The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) takes place between the 11th and 22nd of November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event proposes a global gathering of business leaders, governments, and civil society with the aim of taking effective measures to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. As the construction industry is responsible for approximately 37% of global emissions, the conference is of particular interest to architects, urban planners, and researchers in this field.
The Ukrainian volunteer organization Livyj Bereh has been named the recipient of the 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize, which comes with a £10,000 (€12,000) award. This recognition celebrates emerging architectural talent and innovative practices that significantly impact the future of the built environment. The Dorfman Prize, supported by the Dorfman Foundation, highlights work that transcends conventional boundaries, embracing bold new ideas and community-driven approaches.
PRACTICE is a Seoul-based studio founded in 2020 by designers Sisan Lee and Sehou Ahn, and one of ArchDaily's 2024 Best New Practices. With backgrounds in architecture and interior design, they explore a wide range of creative fields, from spatial and exhibition design to custom furniture, art objects, and material experimentation, and had been highlighted last year due to their fast design approach which "matches the fast-evolving iterations at the world's bustling hub of fashion and design". The studio brings a unique depth to each project by creating custom-designed elements, furniture, and objects that reflect their diverse creative capacities. Pieces within their projects are crafted from a deep understanding of its purpose and materiality, demonstrating the studio's commitment to thoughtful, integrity-driven design.
The design of public bathrooms and changing facilities has historically catered to a generalized notion of user needs, often oversimplifying the complexities of gender-specific requirements and falling short of supporting the unique needs of women. These needs extend beyond biological differences—such as the necessity for more stall privacy and differences in height and body posture—to include cultural factors that influence restroom use and expectations over time.
For instance, women's contemporary clothing often lacks adequate pocket space, resulting in the need to carry a handbag, even for simple essentials like phones and wallets. Despite efforts in recent architectural designs to address these disparities, the layered nuances of biological, cultural, and gender identity factors present a multifaceted challenge that defies a one-size-fits-all solution.
By now, most people in the construction industry know that addressing the carbon emissions that come from the built environment is key to solving the climate challenge. Yet, knowing where to start can be a challenge for many professionals. That's why education and upskilling across the value chain—from architects to urban planners, and real estate developers to engineers—are essential to fostering sustainable construction practices.
Urban apartments are frequently praised for their clever use of space, but what of their approach to color? Thoughtfully incorporating color is more than an aesthetic decision; it has the potential to shape emotional responses, influence mood, and create spatial illusions. Research in color psychology shows that colors affect our social, cultural, and psychological reactions, making them powerful design tools. Variations of blue, for instance, have been shown to slow melatonin production, keeping people more awake and alert, while shades of green relieve strain on our nervous systems, helping us feel calmer and more grounded. Color in architectural spaces can even alter our perception, creating illusions of depth, movement, and texture that influence how we experience space. Warmer hues like oranges and reds tend to make a room feel more intimate and cozy, while cool whites and blues lend a sense of openness, making spaces appear taller and more expansive.
Art and architecture go through a series of interpretive processes before their creation that involve recognizing a capacity for wonder, experimentation, communication, and imagination. Sharing sensitivities and creative quests, they can transform the experience of the world by responding to a collective set of ideas that, at times, design, paint, and write about themes related to the connection with nature, the role of society in the built environment, the sensations conveyed by spaces, and more.
Traditionally, architecture's role has been to create a barrier between inhabitants and the elements, providing protection and security. Even with material and technological advances over time, this function remains fundamental. We still rely on our building envelopes to keep us dry, safe, and comfortable, allowing us to live our daily lives with ease. Nowadays, high-performance building envelopes expand this protective function by using advanced materials and technology, transforming into essential elements of sustainable and resilient design. They not only protect interiors from external factors—such as heat, humidity, and pollutants—but also contribute directly to the building's energy efficiency, durability, and aesthetics. Consisting of facades, solar shading systems, and windows, these envelopes define the building's character and play an essential role in its overall performance.
The Darlington Public School in Australia by fjcstudio has been declared the World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival 2024. fjcstudio previously won Building of the Year in 2013, making it the first practice in WAF's history to win the award twice.
The ultimate accolades of World Building of the Year, World Interior of the Year, Future Project of the Year and Landscape of the Year were announced today as hundreds of delegates from across the world convened at a final Gala Dinner at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. The announcement follows the final day of WAF, in which prize winners across all 42 categories have been competing for the winning titles.
With a longstanding dedication to empowering designers and beautifully bringing their ideas to life, SketchUp software offers an intuitive, comprehensive 3D modeling toolset straight out of the box. Still, users can supercharge its capabilities with a range of powerful extensions.
SketchUp's Extension Warehouse features hundreds of plugins for everything from animation and urban planning to interior design and architecture. These tools eliminate repetitive tasks, improve accuracy, and streamline workflows, allowing designers to customize and enhance their SketchUp experience. But with so many extensions to choose from, diving in can feel daunting. Get started with this list of the top 11 SketchUp extensions to extend and customize your workflows.
The winners of the "Europe 40under40®" program for 2023-2024 have been announced, celebrating promising talents in architecture and design. This recognition highlights projects from emerging professionals under the age of 40, including architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and industrial designers. The program, initiated by The European Centre, aims to showcase a new generation of designers who are poised to impact the future of living and working environments, cities, and rural areas.
All winning projects will be displayed in the exhibition titled "40 Young European Architects with New Visions," scheduled for December 2024 at The European Centre, located in Athens, Greece. The exhibition will coincide with an awards ceremony. Moreover, a special edition publication by Metropolitan Arts Press will feature this year's cohort of talented architects and designers, aiming to reach an international audience of architecture enthusiasts.
The inaugural Copenhagen Architecture Biennial, set to take place from September 18 to October 19, 2025, has announced its first curatorial theme, "Slow Down." Organized by CAFx, the biennial builds upon the foundation of the annual Copenhagen Architecture Festival, established in 2014, evolving into a larger international platform aimed at deepening engagement with architectural issues. This transition marks a shift in focus toward more comprehensive and long-term dialogue around the built environment's role in shaping society and addressing contemporary challenges.
In the mid-twentieth century, a set of South Asian countries collectively experienced a catharsis from colonizers' rule. The period that followed sparked an era of ideas and philosophies for a new future. During this time, architects were pivotal in creating modernist structures that defined the countries' post-colonial, post-partition and post-imperial identities. South Asian architects used design as an expression of hopeful societal visions, most of which have been actualized. With this success in nation-building, there has been a lack of accreditation for women architects in shaping South Asian histories.
Creating a model for rendering does have its own set of rules. To get you up and rendering as quickly as possible, here are SketchUp's top five tips for prepping your SketchUp model for rendering.
Women have played a pivotal role in the evolution of landscape architecture, overcoming the constraints of a male-dominated profession to introduce groundbreaking ideas and fresh perspectives. From early pioneers to contemporary leaders, their work has reshaped how we interact with public and private spaces, intertwining aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability in innovative ways.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, female landscape architects carved out their place in the profession, emphasizing harmony between built structures and natural landscapes. Their projects showcased a deep commitment to community and ecological balance, setting the stage for an inclusive and thoughtful approach to design that continues to inspire the field today.
New York City is a place of constant transformation. Since the late 18th century, when it became one of the world's largest ports, it has established itself as a hub of innovation, commerce, and cultural diversity, attracting immigrants from all over. The rapid industrialization of the 19th century spurred a proliferation of factories, warehouses, and working-class neighborhoods, like Brooklyn and the Lower East Side, which shaped the city's urban and economic growth.
The second round of award winners of the 2024 World Architecture Festival have been announced, following Day Two of live presentations at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, in which hundreds of shortlisted projects were presented by practices from around the world. Amongst today's category award winners in the Completed Buildings section of the world's largest international live-judged architectural event are Warren and Mahoney, CONTEXTO, and fitzpatrick+partners.
Australia led the way with seven projects announced as winners and highly commended across the categories. The United Kingdom secured four wins and highly commended projects, following Australia.
