Snøhetta has unveiled a vacation home design nestled within the landscape of Hokkaido Island for the Japanese hospitality group NOT A HOTEL. Situated atop the renowned Rusutsu Resort, the project centers itself around Mount Yotei and provides framed views. The 1200 sqm building’s design aims to be minimal, influenced by the surrounding terrain and defined site boundaries.
This article was originally published on Common Edge.
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.
Designed by Luxembourg-based office STDM architectes urbanistes in collaboration with Japanese office MIKAN, the concept of "Doki-Doki –The Luxembourg Heartbeat" has won the competition for the design of the Luxembourg pavilion at the Osaka 2025 World Expo. The pavilion takes its name from the Japanese term for heartbeat, aiming to express joy and enthusiasm while strengthening the connection between the two countries. It also strives to offer visitors a chance to discover the cultural richness of Luxembourg and its multifaceted identity.
After a seven-year closure, Chatillon Architectes has renovated the Grande New de I’Île-des-Vannes in Paris, France. Transforming the building into an Olympic training site for the upcoming games, the renovation incorporates modern solutions and state-of-the-art facilities. Initially designed by Anatole Kopp, Lucien Metrich, and Pierre Chazanoff in 1971, the structure features a sweeping parabolic roof and striking translucent side paneling. The restoration involves adding contemporary energy solutions, structural repairs, universal accessibility upgrades, acoustic paneling, sports flooring, and enhancing lighting fixtures.
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.
Eastern and Southern Europe is enduring a severe heatwave, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in many countries including Greece, Croatia, Macedonia, and Romania. Driven by hot air from North Africa, this prolonged heatwave has raised significant threats for residents and has strained the cities’ mechanisms for protection and climate mitigation. As the heatwaves expose the vulnerabilities of urban infrastructures, cities across Europe are striving to implement measures to address these challenges.
Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL) from Denmark and Assar Universum Architects from Luxembourg have collaborated to design a new urban hub for Hollerich in Luxembourg. The new development aims to create a green, vibrant space with mixed uses, transforming the area into an urban destination. Harnessing the city’s distinctive topography, the design integrates a dynamic program of residential, commercial, cultural, and public spaces. The hub, named “NEI HOLLERICH,” is also envisioned as one that addresses the need for affordable housing.
The city of Barcelona and the region are preparing to host Manifesta, the European nomadic biennial of art, architecture, and urbanism, which will celebrate its 15th edition on September 8, 2024. The event will take place in twelve cities over twelve weeks, where an extensive list of participants will materialize projects aimed at reimagining the future through art and architecture.
The first edition of Manifesta took place in Rotterdam in 1996. Over its 14 previous editions across 25 years, it has visited various European cities such as Luxembourg, Ljubljana, Frankfurt, San Sebastián, Trentino-South Tyrol, Murcia, Genk, Saint Petersburg, Zurich, Palermo, Marseille, and Pristina. One of the main pillars of Manifesta is based on critical urban research, promoting the construction of communities and cultural programs with a local identity that act as agents of change. While the nomadic character is a hallmark of the event, each city works with local artistic communities, citizens, and organizations to carry out projects that address issues inherent to the location.
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.
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.
URB has revealed details about the Dubai Green Spine project, an urban development initiative aiming to introduce a 64-kilometer-long green corridor in Dubai. The project, aligned with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, hopes to improve urban mobility and environmental quality by converting one of the city’s major arterial roads into a multifunctional public space with ample greenery, urban farms, integrated non-motorized transportation infrastructures, and community zones.
Switzerland has recently revealed its Pavilion for Expo Osaka 2025 in Kansai. The design of the pavilion was a result of a competition won by Manuel Herz Architekten, NUSSLI, and Bellprat Partner. In line with the Expo's overall theme, "Designing the Future Society for Our Lives," the pavilion aims to minimize environmental impact with a lightweight membrane design that allows for speedy construction and strengthens the relationship between both countries.
This article was originally published on Common Edge.
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.
Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is one of Europe's best-preserved cities, having miraculously survived the widespread bombings of World War II. As the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague is home to over 1.3 million people and features an architectural heritage spanning centuries, covering a variety of architectural styles from Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo, to Modernist, Deconstructivism, and contemporary tendencies. The Old Town Square, where various architectural styles coexist, is a testament to this diversity. Known as the "Mother of all Cities," “the Golden City and “The City of a Hundred Spires,” Prague blends history and contemporary culture seamlessly. Its origins, steeped in legend, add to the city's charm.
Over the past few years, the city has also seen interest from internationally-recognized architectural offices. Following an international competition, BIG has set out to design a for the Vltava Philharmonic Hall on the riverbanks of the Vltava River, Zaha Hadid has recently completed an office and retail building in the city center, while Henning Larsen has been announced as the winner of the commission to redesign Prague Central Station, Nový Hlavák.
The Arabian Peninsula represents one of the world’s leading exporters and users of fossil fuels, an economic reality that influences the area’s visions for the future and, implicitly, architecture and urban planning’s role in these scenarios. A number of emerging offices are however countering these narratives, turning to contextual research to reframe the area’s production of architecture. Among these, cultural practice Civil Architecture has become recognized for its provocative works that explore alternative narratives for the identity of the Middle East. While in Bahrain, ArchDaily's Christele Harrouk had the chance to sit down with Ali Karimi, who, together with Hamed Bukhamseen, co-founded Civil Architecture. In the video interview, they discuss the practice of architecture in the Gulf region and the narrative and research-focused approach of the office.
BWM Designers & Architects has just revealed the design for the Austrian Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. Titled “Austria. Composing the Future,” the pavilion reimagines the expo’s theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” through a music lens, suggesting a future that is not only designed but also composed. In collaboration with facts and fiction, the pavilion and exhibition embark on a journey through Austria’s musical heritage and witness its transition into the future.
