Military: The Latest Architecture and News

The Latvian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, commissioned by Jānis Dripe and curated by Liene Jākobsone and Ilka Ruby, explores the impact of military defense on the country's border landscape. The exhibition was designed by SAMPLING and Nomad Architects to highlight how geopolitical tensions shape both territory and daily life. In times of escalating international warfare, the curatorial team poses the question of what it means to live on NATO's external border in times of geopolitical conflict.

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Swedish practice Tham & Videgård Arkitekter has won a competition to design a new cadet mess building for the Karlberg Military Academy in Stockholm. Establishing a dialogue with the historical context and the 17th-century park, the project is conceived as a clean square volume with concave facades that embrace the surroundings. Through its rhythm and proportion, the design echoes the classical architecture of the nearby palace, showcasing a rigorous aesthetic that establishes a timeless image.

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These vast concrete dishes, which can be found along the northern and easterly British coastline, are sound mirrors. Originally designed to capture the sounds of incoming enemy aircraft as they approached the United Kingdom from across the English Channel and the North Sea (although one was also built at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq in Malta), these military listening devices acted as a rudimentary early warning system in the decades before Radar was developed and deployed.

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