Chicago's urban history is a dynamic saga of innovation, resilience, and architectural prowess. From its early days as a bustling trade hub on Lake Michigan's shores to its transformation into a global metropolis, the Windy City has continually reinvented itself. Iconic events like the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 catalyzed a wave of architectural ingenuity and today, contemporary architects like the city’s own Jeanne Gang and SOM continue to shape its skyline with groundbreaking designs, while sustainable projects and adaptive reuse of historic buildings showcase the city's commitment to blending heritage with forward-thinking urban development. Whether it's the sleek Aqua Tower or the vibrant Riverwalk, Chicago continues to stand as a testament to the endless possibilities of urban innovation and design.
One of the city's most notable achievements is its role as the birthplace of the skyscraper. In the late 19th century, architects like Louis Sullivan and Daniel Burnham pioneered the use of steel-frame construction, allowing buildings to reach unprecedented heights. This innovation not only transformed Chicago's skyline, but also set a precedent for urban centers worldwide, positioning the city as a global leader in architectural design.
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"El Luchador," RA! Arquitectos and filmmakers René Baptista and Tito Sánchez. Image Courtesy of Simon Architecture Prize
The Living Places - Simon Architecture Prize is an initiative of Simon—curated by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe since the prize’s inception—which aims to distinguish those architectural projects (including interiors, public, domestic, and landscape spaces) whose excellence provide comfort to their inhabitants and improve people’s quality of life on a daily basis; while working, learning, sharing, enjoying...in short, architecture to be lived!
Inside is the sister festival of the World Architecture Festival (WAF), the world’s biggest live architectural awards programme, celebrating the very best in interior design. Both Inside and WAF finalists will present their projects to a panel of judges live at the international festival in Singapore.
The 2024 Inside Shortlist represents over 80 interior projects from across the globe, in cities including: New York City, Dubai, Beijing, Osaka, São Paolo, Phuket, Delhi, Auckland, Mexico City, Lisbon, and London. Leading design firms to feature in this year’s shortlist include Foster + Partners, Broadway Malyan, Nikken Sekkei and Office AIO. Many emerging design firms will also be on stage, live pitching against the big names.
World War II was pivotal in human history, leaving a profound political and social impact. Its conclusion marked a significant turning point, leading to post-war suburbanization and the baby boom. These phenomena resulted in rapid urban growth and a surge in housing construction, which peaked in the 1960s and continued to flourish throughout the following decades, gradually slowing down until the present day. Currently, we are facing a very different scenario in which a backlog of affordable housing, combined with a challenging economic outlook and a climate agenda, have led to the need for a transformation of the built environment into a cleaner and more resource-efficient one, in line with the Paris Agreement.
Thus, with the ever-increasing demand for housing, combined with policy initiatives such as the European Green Deal, the post-war model of hyper-production is becoming unsustainable. Consequently, refurbishing derelict or redundant buildings has emerged as a viable alternative. Unlike the scheme of demolition and new construction, this approach offers opportunities for energetic retrofitting, which helps mitigate environmental obsolescence, extend the lifespan of buildings, and revitalize the existing and dilapidated stock—including postwar housing—while improving people's quality of life.
https://www.archdaily.com/1018781/refurbishment-vs-demolition-enhancing-housing-for-sustainable-energy-efficiencyEnrique Tovar
The format for Blair Kamin’ latest book, Who Is the City For? is slightly different from typical compilations. Kamin groups his columns thematically (all 55 appeared in the Chicago Tribune, when he served as architecture critic), and then, more often than not, adds a postscript updating or reframing the story for our fraught new normal. One of the recurring themes, both in the stories and in the postscripts, is the issue of design equity. As income inequality, systemic racism, and climate change became central to the cultural and political debates, equity became the critical lens for much design criticism. In our recent conversation, Kamin advocated for a broader definition of the term.
https://www.archdaily.com/1019288/blair-kamin-on-reframing-the-crucial-issue-of-design-equityMartin C. Pedersen
Refurbishment is an increasingly common and fundamental practice in contemporary architecture. More than a trend, it represents a crucial strategy for reducing resource consumption and minimizing waste generation, providing clear advantages over brand-new constructions. In the Latin American context, this philosophy stands out for its unique characteristics. It intricately weaves circularity and climate action with local materials, addressing economic challenges while harmonizing Indigenous, colonial, and contemporary influences.
Housing plays a crucial role in this context, where traditional materials and construction techniques define each project's distinctiveness and integrate it into the community's social fabric. Throughout Latin America, regional identities are deeply embedded in refurbishment efforts, ranging from restoring facades and repurposing wood to reimagining the use of demolition waste. The adaptation of spaces in these projects is influenced by their unique identities and geographic conditions, rooted in social and cultural expressions.
https://www.archdaily.com/1019030/housing-refurbishment-in-latin-america-10-projects-that-excel-in-the-use-of-materialsEnrique Tovar
The Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is on the brink of a technological transformation, largely driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Looking forward, there are two significant ways that AI will influence outcomes for industry professionals: as a driver of creativity and a productivity booster.
Professionals who adopt AI technology for either of these outcomes may have an advantage over those who do not, enabling them to outpace competitors with more innovative thinking and quicker project delivery. Let's explore how to stay ahead in this changing technological landscape.
The adoption of advanced access control solutions is essential to maintaining security and safety in various contexts, from businesses and institutions to residences and public spaces. Their main objective is to regulate who can access or use a specific resource, location, or system, ensuring that only authorized individuals have access. In an increasingly interconnected and digital world, the implementation of access control systems has become essential to protect confidential information, ensure the integrity of physical and virtual environments, and prevent unauthorized access that can result in theft, data breaches, or other security incidents. These systems can encompass a variety of methods, including passwords, key cards, biometric scans, and security personnel, all working together to verify and allow entry only to those with permission.
Abu Dhabi Climate Resilience Initiative / CBT Architects. Image Courtesy of CBT Architects
As temperatures rise globally, the impacts of urban heat islands—once considered an invisible threat—are becoming increasingly pronounced and ever more dangerous. Despite this mounting threat, however, the public realm which constitutes about 30% of cities offers immense potential to provide respite from scorching heat and introduce new opportunities to improve urban resilience efforts. As global temperatures rise, cities in regions like the United Arab Emirates and India are facing unprecedented challenges in maintaining livable urban spaces.
A pivot door is a swinging door that rotates on a vertical axis; a spindle. It is different from regular hinged doors, where the hinges are attached to the side of the door and the adjacent wall. Even though the pivot door is as old as centuries are long, it is still unknown to many people. However, a recent resurgence in its use has put it front and center as an attractive option for architects, designers and homeowners.
The 2024 Paris Olympics, officially known as the XXXIII Olympiad is scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024. The second city to host the Summer Olympics three times, after London, with the first in 1900 and later on in 1924, Paris will showcase its cultural heritage by hosting the 2024 games at iconic landmarks like the Grand Palais, Eiffel Tower, Gardens of Versailles, and La Concorde. On the other hand, the capital of France is also undergoing major renovations to its waterways with a billion-dollar 'Swimming Plan' aimed at transforming the Seine River into a swimmable aquatic route for the Olympic Games, seeking to restore its historical significance as a vibrant urban river.
With the Paris 2024 Olympics fast approaching and right around the corner, ArchDaily has curated a series of articles and news pieces providing comprehensive insights into both the built and unbuilt environments that will serve as hosts for the games.
The term "holistic" refers to an approach that considers a system as a whole, rather than focusing on individual components. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of various elements and aims to create something balanced and harmonious that supports overall comfort. The approach is particularly valuable at a time when personal well-being and sustainability are at the forefront of design. This includes the integration of natural elements, such as light and water, to create calm, rejuvenating environments where balance and harmony ensure that all design elements work cohesively to form a unified space. Holistic bathroom spaces go beyond mere functionality by engaging the senses, promoting relaxation, and using resources responsibly, a comprehensive approach embraced by premium bathroom solutions brands like hansgrohe.
Evolving urban conditions call for an evolving builtscape, and retrofits have been a key mechanism to allow buildings to adapt and respond to new needs. Amidst global environmental concerns, climate retrofits have become a popular strategy to upgrade buildings based on improved operational efficiency. Global decarbonization plans have even called for city-wide retrofits, such as in the case of London, to meet civic goals. While such upgrades significantly reduce energy consumption, they often come with a hidden cost - embodied carbon in retrofit materials and the potential for future waste.
Industrial heritage, once central to urban growth and economic prosperity, is now often neglected and underused. Around the world, various factories, mills, and warehouses sit abandoned, and their distinctive structures fall into disuse. These buildings were typically constructed from materials such as brick, steel, concrete, and large glass windows. Known for their strength and longevity, these materials make the structures ideal candidates for refurbishment, maintaining structural integrity.
It is fascinating to delve into the practice of Iván Bravo, firstly because the path taken towards his architectural work immerses us in a vast creative universe through the architect's interest and curiosity in various tangential disciplines directly reflected in his built work. A constant reflection on the methodology of the making, the processes, the pieces, the design, and the materiality converges into a noble and honest architecture.
Due to climate change, heat waves are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, and they present a critical challenge for the design of urban spaces. Elevated temperatures exacerbate public health issues, increase energy consumption, and diminish cities' overall quality of life. Urban design must adopt strategies that promote resilience to mitigate these effects rather than merely replicating traditional formats that do not address the thermal stress experienced by many.
For quite some time, we have recognized the positive effects of urban green spaces, interaction with nature, water, and soil, and the associated health and well-being benefits for residents living next to parks. The significance of this matter has been further underscored, particularly in the aftermath of the panic induced by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the present moment once again highlights the influence of our urban models on modern life, now grappling with unprecedented extreme temperatures.
What makes something sacred? When does a building mean more to us than nearly all other places, spaces, objects, or activities in our lives? Architects strive to achieve the sacred in buildings, but it’s the rest of us who either sense it or not, whatever the aesthetics may be. I think the meaning of what is sacred to us can be most profoundly seen and felt when things change.
Through the analysis of an innovative bamboo grid structure created using augmented reality by architects Kristof Crolla and Garvin Goepel in August 2023, we delve into the intricate world of bamboo architecture, focusing on its application in dome structures through a series of detailed illustrations that uncover the depth of this sustainable material's capabilities.
Companies, designers, architects and agencies worldwide are invited to submit their products and projects for the German Design Awards 2025. Organized by the German Design Council, the Awards set international standards for original design developments and competitiveness on the global market, whether through digitalization or AI. The platform honors only projects that are pioneering in the German and international design landscape with positive developments in circular design, making success visible, while also opening up a valuable network, international reach and additional market opportunities for the award winners.
In 1853, at the New YorkWorld Expo, a man climbed onto a suspended platform and ordered the rope supporting it to be cut. He dropped a few inches, but the safety system activated, and the platform remained stable, to the delight of the watching crowd. At that moment, perhaps not even Elisha Graves Otis realized how his invention would permanently change the course of architecture.
This article is the tenth in a series focusing on the Architecture of the Metaverse. ArchDaily has collaborated with John Marx, AIA, the founding design principal and Chief Artistic Officer of Form4 Architecture, to bring you monthly articles that seek to define the Metaverse, convey the potential of this new realm as well as understand its constraints. In this feature, architect John Marx questions the limits and capabilities of AI in architecture and in creating buildings that resonate deeply with people and communities.
These days, it is common to hear multiple voices addressing the diverse issues of contemporary architecture. The topics are numerous, ranging from sustainability and inclusion to social justice and the crisis in land use. At first glance, there is no common ground where all these concepts can coexist transversally. However, if we look back, we can see that beyond the formal architectural concepts, the true purpose of architecture (probably) lies in the people and the lives that develop within it.
Thus, many would argue that life is likely more important than architecture, which could open up a broad debate. What is certain is that currently, narratives and voices are emerging and consolidating, aimed at renewing architectural tools and languages. This transformation seeks to turn the built environment into a space that promotes a more equitable and optimistic future for all. One of these voices is that of Tatiana Bilbao, recognized for her process-centered approach where life and human interactions play a crucial role in defining habitats.
https://www.archdaily.com/1018888/life-changes-in-seconds-but-architecture-never-changes-in-conversation-with-tatiana-bilbaoEnrique Tovar
Personalization of architectural and design elements has become an important global trend in the creation ofexceptional and individualized spaces. These days, anything that can be personalized is fair game, with both clients and architects eager to stand out and create designs that are a true reflection of their personal tastes and lifestyles. In the realm of porcelain tiles, personalization is a key way to infuse design with personality, which the brand Kaolin has been focusing on through its Customization Program.
