MVRDV has begun construction on Skanderbeg Building, officially known as Tirana’s Rock, a mixed-use project that is sculpted into the shape of Albania’s national hero. The building is wrapped in curved balconies that form the shape of Skanderbeg's head, serving as an iconic landmark at the Skanderbeg Square in the center of Tirana. Once complete, the project will be one the world’s largest buildings that doubles as a figurative sculpture, celebrating the country’s cultural history while giving the Albanian capital a unique identity.
ICLEI Circulars has launched a new practical Equitable Transitions Guidebook to help cities make sure that their urban development projects are equitable for all groups of citizens. The guidebook is based on multiple case studies from cities worldwide under the Urban Transitions Alliance project. The guide’s purpose is to provide insights, recommendations, and tools for city practitioners to understand better and unpack what social equity means at the local level. The publication is free to download.
Atkins has revealed the final design of Nairobi’s new Central Railway Station and public realm. The project extends the historic station building, one of the city’s first stone structures, to raise its capacity to over 30,000 passengers per hour. The new additions take inspiration from the past, referencing the “Boma,” a community enclosure rooted in the heritage of central African culture. Built for flexibility and adaptability, the new station aims to become a key functional facility within the city, providing its citizens with amenities, landscape, and respite.
Convivir en la Amazonía en el Siglo XXI: Guía de Planificación y Diseño Urbano para las ciudades en la selva baja peruana. Image Cortesía de Belen Desmaison
Addressing the universe of the world's largest tropical forest, the book 'Living in the Amazon in the 21st Century: A Guide to Urban Planning and Design for Cities in the Peruvian lowland rainforest', has been selected as a finalist in the category of publications at the 12th Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism. The issue, published in 2019 as part of the PUCP Architecture Publications, in the framework of the CASA (Self-Sustainable Amazonian Cities) project of the Climate Resilient Cities initiative of IDRC, FFLA and CDKN, focuses its research on the department of Loreto, presenting itself as "a guide for architecture and urban design, for settlements in the Amazon forest, including the social processes to be considered".
Never not en vogue: Philippe Starck’s Ghost chair by Kartell, the Snoopy lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, Patricia Urquiola’s Husk Chair by B&B Italia, the iconic Zanotta Mezzadro stool by Castiglioni, Eero Saarinen’s Tulip table as part of the Pedestal Collection for Knoll International and Max Bill’s Ulmer stool, produced by wg form
Sustainability is on everyone's lips these days – but mostly with a view to the future and the question of how it is possible to use fewer resources, produce more sustainably and reduce waste. However, sustainability can also be lived with a view to the past or the present – namely with a domestic environment that consists of durable furniture designs that outlast trends and never go out of fashion. In the third part of our series on design icons, we put Philippe Starck, Eero Saarinen, Achille Castiglioni, Patricia Urquiola and Max Bill in the spotlight with their evergreen furniture icons, which can be found on architonic.com.
As part of the DAAily Bar Live Talks, ArchDaily's Founder and Editor-in-Chief David Basulto had the chance to talk with Carlo Ratti, director of MIT's Senseable Lab and founder of innovation studio Carlo Ratti Associati about this multidisciplinary approach, the blurred boundaries of the profession and his recent projects.
Construction has begun at 126 East 57th street, a project designed by architecture office ODA, with interiors designed by Gambellini Sheppard. On 57th street, a copper mirrored gateway leads residents through the 6-story atrium and toward the 28-story residential tower. The site spans the width of a city block from 56th to 57th street and the proposed tower measures 175,000 square feet, complete with private outdoor terraces for every unit, as the pixelated cast-in-place concrete façade recesses at irregular intervals.
Muyiwa Oki has been elected as the next President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), one of the highest positions in UK architecture. As RIBA's first Black President, Muyiwa Oki will take over the two-year presidential term from Simon Alfred starting on 1 September 2023.
MAD Architects led by Ma Yansong, unveiled renderings of the MoLo, short for Mobility and Logistic hub, a new gateway situated along the western boundary of the Milano Innovation District (MIND). In collaboration with Architect Andrea Nonni, Open Project, and Progeca, the 28.5 meters high complex brings together several facilities across 68,700sqm of surfaces. Designed as an integration of nature and architecture, the MoLo “performs as a welcoming entrance and education space for issues related to mobility in which visitors can drop off their cars to explore the district on foot and see innovative transportation technology in person”.
Not a Hotel Ishigaki by Sou Fujimoto Architects. Image Courtesy of Sou Fujimoto Architects
Sou Fujimoto has unveiled a “Not a Hotel Ishigaki”, a new project in the southwest of Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, Japan. The unique tropical resort hotel sits on a circular base open in all directions toward the surrounding natural landscape. The main feature of the building is the undulating roof covered in vegetation. Its shape allows access from the building terraces, creating an inner landscape, complete with meadows, relaxation areas, and a water mirror that reflects the sky and the singular tree in its vicinity.
The International High-Rise Award 2022/23 has nominated 34 outstanding projects from 13 different countries to compete for this year’s edition. Selected by the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM), the shortlisted buildings were picked from more than 1,000 new high-rises worldwide dating from the past two years. As in previous years, a considerable decline in high-rises completed was to be observed.
The jury of international experts for this year’s High-Rise Award was chaired by architect Sven Thorissen (MVRDV) and included architects, engineers, architectural critics, and representatives of DekaBank, the City of Frankfurt, and Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM). In the fall, five finalists will be announced in the second step of the process, and the winner will be released on November 8, 2022.
Notre Dame de Paris under construction in February 2022. Image via Shutterstock by Jacky D
Notre Dame cathedral in Paris is on course to reopen to worshipers and the public in 2024, according to Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak’s statement on Thursday, almost three years after the devastating fire. In the statement, she noted that the clean-up phase of the restoration project is now completed, allowing rebuilding work to get underway. The 12th century cathedral is being restored to its previous design, including the 96-meter spire designed by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in the mid-1800s, for which new timber has been selected.
HA-HA, in partnership with BIK Bouw and Wooncompas Housing, will develop four social housing blocks for the community of Ridderkerk, near Rotterdam, Netherlands. The project uses materials from the existing social housing estate, built in the 1950s, and employs an innovative modular-timber system to create sustainable human-centered housing. The old buildings are planned to be disassembled and their components reused and integrated into the new development, which will increase the number of affordable units by 13%.
Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo has unveiled the design of what will soon become the tallest high-rise ensemble in the city of The Hague, in the Netherlands. Dubbed "The Grace", the project consists of two towers, one at 150 meters high and the other at 180 meters, becoming the tallest high-rise ensemble in the city. The residential project comes as a response to the growing demand for affordable housing, as well as fostering an enhanced sense of community.
The Saudi Arabian government has released visuals of a 170-kilometer-long skyscraper as part of the NEOM project. Announced by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, The Line is a reimagined urban development linking the coast of the Red Sea to the mountains and upper valleys of northwest Saudi Arabia. The compact structure, 200 meters wide, represents a social and economic experiment. The city aims to be zero-carbon, through the elimination of carbon-intensive infrastructures like cars and roads, and will operate on 100% renewable energy, including the operations of its industries.
FLOW, 2021 / POOL IS COOL, Decoratelier Jozef Wouters. Image Cortesía de CCCB
The European Prize for Urban Public Space is a biennial, honorary competition organised by the Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB), which, following its exhibition "The Reconquest of Europe" in 1999, decided to create a permanent observatory of European cities. The prize has been awarded since 2000, recognising the best interventions for the creation, transformation and recovery of public spaces in Europe.
The Alexander Team and metaverse real estate development firm Everyrealm, have announced the launch of "The Row", a private, members-only metaverse real estate community featuring architecture designed by world-renowned artists. The Row will be launched on the metaverse world-building platform Mona, and will feature limited-edition series of 30 3D architectural landmarks, each sold as a 1-of-1 non-fungible token (NFT) designed by artists including Daniel Arsham, Misha Kahn, Andrés Reisinger, Alexis Christodoulou, Six N. Five, and Hard.
