Al-Imam Al-Shafi'i. Image Courtesy of Megawra - Built Environment Collective
Cairo, often called the "City of a Thousand Minarets," boasts one of the richest cultural and architectural tapestries in the world. Its heritage reflects centuries of diverse influences from Pharaonic monuments to Islamic and Mamluk architecture. However, preserving this legacy is an ongoing challenge in the face of urban pressures, climate change, and socio-economic dynamics. Heritage conservation in Cairo is not just about safeguarding these structures; it's about integrating them into the lives of local communities, ensuring they remain dynamic and accessible spaces.
At the forefront of this mission is Dr. May al-Ibrashy, an architect and conservationist whose innovative and community-driven approach has redefined how heritage is preserved. As the founder of Megawra–Built Environment Collective, she has worked tirelessly in neighborhoods like Al-Khalifa, Al-Hattaba, and Sayyida Zeinab to restore historic monuments while creating vibrant public spaces. Her work bridges the gap between architectural preservation and urban regeneration, ensuring that these historic districts serve both as cultural landmarks and as living, functional spaces for their residents.
Kenzo Tange's 1960 Tokyo Bay Plan reflected the zeitgeist of a society enamored by rapid technological advancement and post-war optimism. Buckminster Fuller's 1959 dome concept over Manhattan was developed on a belief in humanity's ability to shape its environment on an unprecedented scale. All throughout the mid-20th century, utopian urban planning ideas sprouted in various parts of the world, driven by a unique combination of societal factors and psychological motivations.
While these visions were often marked by hope and ambition, they also reflected the broader economic growth and technological innovation of the time—factors that contributed to the bold fantasies of architects and urban designers eager to transform the urban landscape. Many saw an opportunity to redesign cities from the ground up, often bypassing the complexities of existing urban fabrics in favor of futuristic ideals. However, while these visions provoked forward-thinking practices, they often surprised the public and seemed distant or unattainable. How might these concepts have evolved if shaped by today's participatory planning, which prioritizes public engagement and community input?
MVRDV has partnered with KLABU, a social enterprise based in Amsterdam, to design a modular, multi-functional clubhouse aimed at supporting refugees. This collaboration, which began in 2022, is founded on the belief that sports can play a pivotal role in helping individuals rebuild their lives, fostering joy, pride, and hope. KLABU's initiative involves constructing clubhouses within refugee camps, settlements, and urban areas, where they serve as community hubs offering access to sports equipment, activities, and connectivity through Wi-Fi and TV broadcasts.
Architecture holds power beyond the creation of buildings - it is a practice that shapes how people live, interact, and thrive within their communities. Architecture can also be a tool for social innovation. Through an understanding of human-centered processes, participatory design, and social sciences, practitioners can address societal challenges such as loneliness, inequality, and public health to equip spaces as vehicles for social equity and engagement. Architecture's role in shaping the future of communities is a direct response to human needs and activated social change.
Selected as one of ArchDaily's Best New Practices for 2024, Wiki World is pioneering a fresh approach to children's architectural education and community building. This Wuhan-based studio simplifies the concept of architecture, moving beyond grandiose connotations and focusing on 'building a house'—exploring the wisdom and methods of 'ordinary people.' Building, according to Wiki World, is not only a human instinct but also a way to connect with and understand nature. They see an opportunity in the open-source spirit, empowering communities in rural China to design and construct their own creations. By providing the right frameworks, Wiki World is able to scale and make architecture accessible to an increasing number of people. The studio organizes workshops across China, guiding parents and children through one community-building experience after another.
In an interview with ArchDaily, Wiki World shared their approach to workshop design and organizational processes, drawing from both their expertise and the fresh perspectives gained from their young participants. They discussed how their views on nature and community design have shaped their work, their strategies for effective communication, and their current challenges and successes. They also explained how they bridge the gap between different teams to inspire creativity and foster hands-on engagement with users.
On the first Monday of October, World Architecture Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the role that architecture plays in shaping our world and our communities. Established by the International Union of Architects (UIA) in 1986, this day was designated as a basis for the ongoing discussions on innovations in architectural practice, new approaches to the ever-changing role of architects and designers, and the varied responses to emerging concerns.
As in previous editions, UIA sets a central yearly theme to guide these conversations. This year, the theme of World Architecture Day 2024, "Empowering the Next Generation to Participate in Urban Design," opens up multiple interpretations, contemplating the impact of urban design on the next generation, as well as highlighting the impact and contributions of young architects in shaping the cities of tomorrow. This year's event aims to address crucial challenges faced by the urban environments and their impact on the next generations. The focus is on creating cities that are not only greener and more environmentally friendly but also inclusive, catering to the diverse needs of various groups in society.
Sumayya Vally, architect, curator, and founder of Counterspace architecture office, joins the jury for the 2024 Obel Award. This international architectural prize, organized by the Henrik Frode Obel Foundation, honors projects that significantly impact people and the planet. The 2024 theme, "Architecture WITH," invites a re-examination of the architectural profession, emphasizing collaborative and co-creative processes that integrate diverse bodies of knowledge into the core of design. Vally's perspective on redefining architectural roles aligns with the theme's focus on non-hierarchical, co-creative approaches.
Following the devastating earthquake that hit central Turkiye and northwest Syria in February 2023, the province of Hatay, Türkiye, was left with large sections of its urban fabric destroyed and thousands of residents displaced. Türkiye Design Council has commissioned design studio SOUR to contribute to the regeneration initiative as part of a wider design-led revitalization process.
The Obel Award is an international prize seeking to highlight unconventional and original initiatives within the architectural profession. Supported by the Henrik Frode Obel Foundation, each annual award is centered around a specific theme. By exploring a different challenge of the built environment each year, the award remains open to a wide range of solutions and architectural innovations, honoring those contributions that have a positive impact on both people and the planet.
"Architectures WITH," the recently announced theme of the 2024 edition, explores participatory design, co-creation, and interdisciplinary collaboration, challenging traditional roles in architecture to foster inclusive, adaptable environments. It aims to empower all stakeholders and enhance collective intelligence in architecture.
At the dawn of Modernism, in the fervent search for innovative, efficient, and cost-effective building systems, the idea of modular construction offered the promise of exactly that: an industrialized system comprised of ready-to-assemble elements, easily configured, cost-effective, and quality-controlled. While the idea did not gain as much traction as was initially expected, it has remained an attractive premise for architects and designers. Now, new developments in the field have led to a renewed interest in the matter, as modular housing emerges as an effective measure in various fields, from affordable housing to emergency shelters, or even as platforms for interdisciplinary collaboration, participation, and co-design. The following article explores this promise of accessibility, creativity, and affordability that has become an integral part of the debate around modular architecture.
CityMakers, The Global Community of Architects Who Learn from Exemplary Cities and Their Makers, is working with Archdaily to publish a series of articles about Barcelona, Medellin, and Rotterdam. The authors are the architects, urban planners, and/or strategists behind the projects that have transformed these three cities and are studied in the "Schools of Cities" and "Documentary Courses" made by CityMakers. On this occasion, Victor Restrepo, Coordinator of CityMakers in Medellin, presents his article "Medellin: A Case Study".
Medellín stands as an inspiring example for many cities worldwide. It is a city that transitioned from deep collective fear to hopeful enthusiasm for urban and social life characterized by quality and coexistence. The city's crisis has always been associated with violence and drug trafficking. However, this crisis is more structural and profound, it responds to many more factors, some of which are associated with the accelerated growth of its population, as in many Latin American cities.
The idea of a community or public playground is about creating an accessible recreational space for all. However, in many cases, initiating a playground project might fail due to insufficient funds or regulations/restrictions. The first challenge is largely to set the project in motion and, most importantly, get the community’s positive reception and, if possible, its involvement, thus ensuring the project's success and sustainability.
MVRDV and LOLA Landscape Architects have just revealed the new development of “Grüne Mitte” in Düsseldorf, Germany. Centered around open communication, negotiation, and compromise, the project aims to introduce 500 new apartments and community spaces to enhance the neighborhood. Approximately 50% of the scheme is designated as social or affordable housing, which was designed in participatory processes with the residents.
In Nieuw Delft, a newly developed city area next to the historic city center of Delft and in close proximity to the central train station, Common City is developing the winning LeeuwenPart plan in collaboration with Space&Matter. The project includes a residential building located on the edge of the future Van Leeuwenhoek Park. The project is developed as a co-commissioning, a process where the future residents are included in the design process, resulting in a well-adapted building and a close-knit community.
Cities are a canvas for architectural creativity and the dynamism of urban life. In recent years, they have taken on an additional role: that of living laboratories for innovative architecture and urban design. International cities have become experimental grounds for architectural technology, sustainable practices, and human-centered design principles to be tested and refined. This paradigm shift has not only transformed the physical aspects of urban environments but has also redefined the relationship between architecture, community, and the built environment.
Minimaforms Presents The Order of Time at the Architectural Association School of Architecture Gallery. It is an immersive installation aimed to connect the preoccupations of physics, art, and architecture by revealing the ordering of spaces and constructed relationships through direct experience.
Three Sculptural installations are the highlight of the exhibition. Spherical organizations deployed through mathematical logic and designed to extend space within reflective light boxes, gifting its viewer a new immersive moment at every turn. ArchDaily had the chance to engage in a conversation with Theodore Spyropoulos; Artist & Architect at Minimaforms and Director of the Architectural Association’s Design Research Lab, on issues that tackled the interdisciplinary nature of architecture, the creative process of the installation, and how it influences the creation of spaces, buildings & cities.
Adjaye Associates, in collaboration with Holst Architecture, the prime architect of record, have unveiled the first renderings for the new East County Library in Portland, Oregon, a new facility that will provide a diverse range of services and programming. The design of the 95,000-square-foot building is informed through extensive community engagement and feedback. Several local organizations aid these efforts by organizing public community events, focus groups, teen outreach, and surveys. As the project is currently in the schematic design phase, the images presented are early drafts, likely to change to reflect the input received.
In recent years, the term “co-creation,” a buzzword in the business and management sector, has made its way into the architecture and urban planning discourse. The termis used to define a large concept that describes working intentionally with others to create something jointly. But architecture is already the result of a collaboration between multiple actors, architects, clients, investors, developers, and local administration, to name a few. Can the term still apply to this field, can it bring forth new forms of knowledge, and does it differ from the concept of participatory design?
