OMA’s comprehensive strategy to rebuild the New Jersey city of Hoboken, after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, has been selected as one of ten initiatives moving forward in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Rebuild by Design competition. The proposal, Resist, Delay, Store, Discharge, focuses on establishing resiliency through the integration of key infrastructural elements that not only protects coastal neighborhoods, but also the entire city of Hoboken.

Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter has won a competition to design a landmark urban sculpture in Aarhus Harbour, a new district in Denmark's second largest city. The tower, shaped like a "sharp origami cut," is designed to "celebrating vision and social encounters at the edge of the water." Made of welded steel plates, the structure will be manufactured in a shipyard before being sailed to site.

A team led by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has been announced as winners of a competition to design the Vendsyssel Theatre and Experience Centre in Hjørring, Denmark. Once complete in 2016, the 4,200 square meter building will act as a new and vibrant cultural hub within the city.

It’s been two year’s since the construction of the 42-story Museum Tower in Dallas. As many of you may recall, the luxury condo has been in dispute with the neighboring Nasher Sculpture Center over an intense “hot spot” caused by the tower’s highly reflective skin. Although Nasher has demanded that the Museum Tower cover its southwestern facade with an external louver system, thus blocking the glare from penetrating Nasher’s Renzo Piano-designed cast aluminum sunscreen, the developers have refused to oblige due to a fear of jeopardizing the project's profitability.

Negotiations have turned to squabbles and proposals have fallen on deaf ears. However, a team lead by REX and Front has been commissioned by the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund (DPFPF) - the Museum Tower’s developer - to explore a "third option," one that would not require changing the construction of either Museum Tower or the Nasher.

Louis Paillard Architects' proposal for Marievik, a site south west of Sweden's capital, is an attempt to condense 65,000 square metres of housing, retail, restaurants and a school into just 12,000 square metres of available space through "six iconic objects." According to the architects, Stockholm is a city built "by public spaces, shared spaces, [and] parks and gardens", which led to their design "twisting itself around the void."

Chyutin Architects have won a competition to design a new campus for the Ben Gurion University in Israel. Planned for a 30 hectare site in Beer Sheva, the 300,000 square meter campus will double the University’s existing facilities, both of which will be connected. Once complete, the new campus will include a welcoming public square with commercial and cultural facilities, as well as students dormitories, a congress center, academic and research facilities, sports facilities and more.

NEXT architects has been awarded first prize in an international competition to design a pedestrian bridge for Meixi Lake in Changsha. Designed to be “more than just a connection,” the footbridge will serve as a key public space for a new lake district within the Dragon King Harbor River development. Recreational, ecological and touristic programs will be integrated into the 150 meter-long, 24 meter-high elevated parkway.

Though the fastest way to get from point A to point B is a straight line, architects Arturo Tedeschi and Maurizio Arturo Degni of Arturo Tedeschi (A>T) also believe it is the most boring way. Inspired by Sou Fujimoto’s 2013 Serpentine Pavilion and formed by a specific algorithm, A>T’s “Cloudbridge” seeks to heighten the experience of footbridges by creating a non-linear path that slows users down and connects them with the surrounding nature. According to the architects, the cloud-like bridge, made of a cubic steel modular frame and supported by a main beam, could easily constructed in any major mountain range.

After winning a Transport for London (TfL) tender for ideas to improve pedestrian access across the River Thames, Thomas Heatherwick and Arup unveiled plans for a new, 367-meter long ‘Garden Bridge’ that will span the river from Temple to the Southbank. The lush pedestrian corridor, earmarked for opening in 2017, would be the first new crossing since the Millennium Bridge opened to the public in 2002.

More details and updated images after the break...

Huasen Architects (HSA) have been announced winners of the Fangda Headquarters competition. The winning proposal, located in Shenzhen, China, reshapes the existing site into a 300,000 sqm vortex of retail, office, entertainment and recreation spaces, stemming off a high-tech research and technical development hub. Competition requirements called for the integration of a bus terminal predicated on government officials’ calculations that 55% of users would arrive by bus.

FXFOWLE and CO Architects (CO|FXFOWLE) have teamed up to design a seven-story School of Nursing building for the Columbia University Medical Center campus in upper Manhattan. The result of an invited design competition, the design will provide 65% more space than the school's current location and will be designed to achieve LEED Silver certification.

Chevalier Morales Architectes, in collaboration with DMA Architectes, has won the competition for the design of the Pierrefonds Library in Quebec. The project called for a complete renovation of the existing building to achieve LEED Gold certification and a 2,316 square meter extension that would include new document management technologies. The team's building design was inspired by Pierrefonds' old master plans as well as the economic pragmatism of shopping malls.

REX has just released their winning competition design for a unique residential competition: a private residence for three generations. The estate includes the parents’ home, four children’s homes, event space, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, gym, spa, library, study, home cinema, and performance space.

Olson Kundig Architects’ $6.6 million Wagner Education Center at The Center for Wooden Boats (CWB) in Seattle is scheduled to break ground this winter. Reminiscent of historic Northwest boatbuilding facilities, the projected LEED Gold center will serve as the “modern front door for the growing museum, Lake Union Park and the surrounding South Lake Union neighborhood.” The design will feature large windows and movable exterior panels that, consistent with Kundig’s signature use of inventive details, will grant users maximum flexibility in controlling the interior’s exposure to the elements.

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Steven Holl Architects has been selected as winner, besting OMA and Zaha Hadid Architects, in an invited competition for the new Culture and Art Center of Qingdao City. Located in the heart of Qingdao’s new extension, which is planned for a population of 700,000, the two million-square-foot winning proposal features a conglomerate of four art museums situated amongst a landscape of reflecting pools and gardens which are all connected by a continuous “Light Loop” that moves visitors throughout the site.

Read on for the architect’s description...

Each December, Design Miami/ commissions early-career architects to build a designed environment for the fair's entrance as part of its biannual Design Commissions program. This year's winning proposal, dubbed "Tent Pile," was designed by the New York-based architectural practice formlessfinder. Its design harnesses the properties of sand and aluminum to create shade, seating, cool air and a space to play for Miami's public.

ALA Architect's submission for Aalto University's Campus2015 international design competition proposed a "conglomerate of buildings to form an incubator of activity." Their aim was to "connect existing structures and projects to create a new areal hotspot, an urban concentration with vivid street life" in order to nurture an "open display of creativity."

The competition isn't over yet as the jury for the Central Mosque of Pristina Competition has announced two second place prizes and no winner. Organized by the Islamic Community of Kosovo, the competition seeks to create a place "where understanding, humanity, tolerance, respect and sincere love shall be cultivated." Slovenian firm SADAR+VUGA was one of the two teams awarded second prize with their project 21PR22. Follow us after the break to learn more.

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Aedas have recently unveiled this design for a serviced apartment building in Hong Kong. Situated in the neighborhood of Mongkok, one of the most densely populated areas on the planet, the building is squeezed into what the architects refer to as a "challengingly small" site of 614 square meters. More images and description after the break.

Magén Arquitectos have recently proposed a new cultural center called "Espacio Portalet" for the mountainous pass on the border between Spain and France. Their design proposal aims to evoke cultural memory and to highlight the impressive landscape context of the Pyrenees.

Keep reading for more.

Text description provided by the architects. Borealis, Team Alberta’s entry to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013, addresses the housing needs of professionals working in remote locations. This modular house was designed in consideration of severe housing shortages and high housing costs driven by booming industries in northern Canada. Named after the iconic Northern Lights and lush Boreal forest, Borealis is designed to be sustainable and ecologically sensitive.

Australian practice Lockhart Krause Architect has entered its proposal "Community and Earth" into an international design competition for a contemporary art gallery and museum of historical artifacts in the world heritage city of Yaroslavl, Russia. Their scheme aims to "provide a vibrant place for the community" and "explores the idea of earth and history by cutting into the ground."