Architect, researcher, assistant lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning UTCN, Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca and KU Leuven. Based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Given that the architects of modernity were in search of purity of form, it stands to reason that the image of this modern architecture is almost inevitably rendered in white in the collective imagination. Relieved of superfluous decorations, modern architecture became associated with the predominant use of white surfaces to highlight the volumetric composition. Combined with the concept of “material truth” first articulated by Victorian critic John Ruskin, white-colored architecture is often understood as straightforward, clear, and sincere.
Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed the design of the Daxia Tower, to be built in the High-Tech Economic and Technological Development Zone of Xi’an, one of China’s largest inland cities with a population nearing nine million people. The tower will mark the center of Xi’an’s business district and will include offices, retail, and ancillary facilities, all designed with data analytics and behavior modeling to ensure a balanced disposition of spaces.
WilkinsonEyre has been selected to design a new college campus on the Olympic Way in Wembley, London, to serve as the new educational facility for the College of North West London. The project is designed to cater to over 300 students per week in addition to the 250 staff members. The new facility will offer classes in engineering, the built environment, and green skills, as well as digital technology, computing, health, and social care. The new campus scheme has recently been granted planning permission at the Council’s Planning Committee meeting and has now been passed to the Greater London Authority for final approval.
The “Green Obsession” campaign launched by Stefano Boeri Architetti has been declared the winner of the SDG Action Awards, the most important recognition of projects that support the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. As part of the SDG Action Campaign, the United Nations set out to reward initiatives that “mobilize, inspire and connect communities in order to promote positive change.” The winning initiative aims to help improve the relationship between nature and design by implementing the principles of urban forestation. Green Obsession represents a series of conferences, public programs and a book, “Green Obsession: Trees Towards Cities, Humans Towards Forests”, published in 2021 and supported by the Graham Foundation.
Lviv Hospital Proposal. Image Courtesy of Shigeru Ban
Shigeru Ban has announced the intention to collaborate with the municipality of Lviv to design an expansion of the Lviv hospital. As the largest hospital in Ukraine, this unit has witnessed an increase in the number of patients since the beginning of the war, leading to the need to increase the capacity of the institution. Shigeru Ban’s proposal uses cross-laminated wood and joints inspired by traditional wooden construction techniques to create a safe and welcoming environment for healing and recuperating.
The 20th century saw a period of experimentation and innovation at an unprecedented pace, a direction that also marked the architectural expressions of the time. Paris, as one of Europe’s leading centers for artistic and cultural expression, was also the epicenter for the formation of new architectural styles, from Le Corbusier’s modern architecture revolution to expressions of the High-Tech style as seen in the design of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers’ Centre Pompidou. The social transformation found its expression through Brutalist public institutions or residential ensembles, like the ones designed by Renée Gailhoustet and Jean Renaudie at Irvy-Sur-Seine, while political movements attracted architects from across the ocean, including Oscar Niemeyer, who created his first European building in the French capital.
Switzerland-based office Oppenheim Architecture has been announced as the winner of a two-phase competition for the redesign and restoration of the Besa Museum in Tirana, Albania. The institution is dedicated to showcasing the Albanian code of honor represented through the name “Besa,” a concept that dictates welcoming any guests as one’s own. The museum is conceived as a continuation of the Jewish Museum on Vlora, diving deeper into the principle of Besa and its role in the help given to the Jews in Albania during the Holocaust.
During the opening keynote at the UIA 2023 World Congress of Architects, Bjarke Ingels, the lead and founder of BIG, shared insights into pressing global challenges along with the office’s distinctive approach to addressing them. After the conference, ArchDaily had the chance to sit down with Bjarke Ingels to further expand on these topics. The discussion touched on a number of subjects, including BIG’s approach to design, based on their principle of “Hedonistic Sustainability,” the meaning and opportunities behind this change in mentality, the inter-applicability of technological innovations across different fields and even across planets, and the need to develop a New European Bauhaus as a response to the emerging environmental necessities.
Ennead Architects has been enlisted to redefine the campus of The American School in Japan (ASIJ) to align the international school’s academic mission with its environment. Currently defined by its aging and fragmented infrastructure, the campus is set to become a dynamic and innovative space, encouraging integrated learning, cohesion, and collaboration across age groups. Sustainability principles, along with the experience of Japanese heritage, also play an important role in the design of the master plan, which proposes a toolkit of solutions intended to help create a unified, sustainable and resilient campus.
After a three-year break, Hello Wood’s builder festival returns to welcome students, architects, and young professionals from all across the world to join the 10-day builder camp to test their wooden construction abilities, learn to collaborate, and participate actively in on-site design and construction. For the first time in Hello Wood’s 13-year history, this year’s workshop takes place at a new location, in the crater of an abandoned basalt quarry on Haláp Mountain in Hungary. The workshop also aligns with and supports Veszprém’s title of 2023 European Capital of Culture, which also includes over a hundred other villages and towns across the Bakony-Balaton region. The event took place between July 6 and 15, ending in a two-day music festival open to all.
Ghisellini Architects, in collaboration with Lucrezia Alemanno and Paolo Beniamino De Vizzi has unveiled the redevelopment and complete redesign project for the new Piazza Francesca Cabrini in Livraga, Italy. Located about 45 kilometers southeast of Milan, the municipality of Livraga set out to transform the currently degraded public space and transform it into an attractive gathering place with site-specific environmental and landscaping features. Construction is expected to begin in August 2023 and is scheduled for competition in 2024.
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Lennar, ICON / 3D-printed, 100-home Community Wolf Ranch ,Rune Model Home. Image Courtesy of ICON, Lennar
The first 3D-printed model home built by ICON and Lennar and co-designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group is now open for visits at the 100-home community of Wolf Ranch in the city of Georgetown, near Austin, Texas. The house is part of the largest-scale development of 3D-printed homes in the world, currently under construction. Several of the homes have already been sold. With more than 80 of the home sites actively under construction and nearing completion, the first homeowners are scheduled to move in this September.
The climate crisis has made heatwaves more likely and more intense around the world. Record-breaking high temperatures are being reported across the world. According to international data, the first week of July 2023 was the hottest week on record, putting millions of people in danger. All throughout this summer, recurring heatwaves have been affecting large portions of Asia, Europe, and the United States, priming the land for fires in places like Greece, Spain, and Canada, triggering unhealthy air warnings, evacuations, and heat-related deaths. The increasingly threatening effects of the climate crisis are also felt in cities worldwide, as extreme heat proves to be a rapidly growing health risk to millions of urban dwellers.
Cities are on the front lines of this public health emergency. People living in urban areas are among the hardest hit when heatwaves happen, partly because of urban heat islands. This is a phenomenon that occurs when cities replace the natural land cover with dense concentrations of surfaces that absorb and retain heat, like pavements and buildings. Heat risk levels also vary by neighborhood, with less affluent and historically marginalized sectors being the most affected due to the density of the population, limited access to cooling systems, and the limited availability of green urban spaces.
The former animal laboratories of the Charité in Lichterfelde, also known as the Mäusebunker building, have now been placed under monument protection, saving it from the threat of demolition that has been slated since 2010. The brutalist structure was designed by architects Gerd and Magdalena Hänska and built from 1971, and put into operation in 1982. While its strong image, combined with its function as a laboratory for animal tests, resulted in the general public’s distaste for it, the Brutalist building slowly gained acceptance and even a cult status among brutalist fans.
Developed by GXN for the 2023 UIA World Congress of Architects in Copenhagen, The (P)RECAST Pavilion explores the possibility of reusing precast concrete elements from existing buildings to promote circularity and reduced carbon emissions in the construction industry. The pavilion showcases salvaged concrete elements alongside 200-year-old timber beams, highlighting their aesthetic and structural value. Following the same motivation but through a different approach, MEE Studio has developed The Regenerative Cabin. Located in Copenhagen, the structure explores the applied use of regenerative biogenic materials to reduce the carbon emissions associated with the building materials.
The team composed of KCAP and V2S has been announced the winner of the international competition for the design of Altiplano, a new complex for living and working in the new neighborhood of ZAC Aerospace in Toulouse, France. The proposal includes a high-rise featuring co-living apartments and a lower volume with offices and co-working spaces. Between the two volumes, a 25-meter wide arch visually connects the ensemble to former runway, the Piste des Géants, which will be transformed into a linear urban forest, as part of the master plan for the new neighborhood designed by David Mangin from Agence Seura.
Sporting facilities can play a vital role in the lives of cities by providing multifunctional public spaces where the people can join in large-scale events providing entertainment and spectacle while also promoting well-being and enhancing community engagement. Additionally, well-designed sporting arenas can become icons for a city, creating a sense of pride and identity and attracting visitors and residents. One such example is the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, which take over cities like Paris, London or New York, attracting fans from all around the world. The Philippe Chatrier and greenhouse transformed into the Simonne-Mathieu Tennis Court in Paris have become architectural landmarks, serving as catalysts for urban development and cultural exchange.
Other small-scale venues also play a role in the lives of communities, acting as gathering places for people with shared interests, fostering a sense of belonging and contributing to the overall health of the neighborhoods. This week's curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights projects submitted by the ArchDaily community that showcase both large and small scale sporting venues. From a ‘box in a box’ basketball pavilion in Greece, to a translucent multi-sports arena in El Salvador or a dune-line arena in Morocco, this selection features projects that encourage and celebrate movement, athleticism and fair play competition.
