Museum of Image and Sound in Rio de Janeiro by Diller Scofidio + Renfro is set to open in 2026 after a decade of delays – Visual by DS+R.
Architecture. Happy 2026. As usual, we welcome the new year by looking ahead to a rich selection of museums, theatres, monuments, and cultural centres that will finally reach completion or open to the public worldwide. From Barcelona to Los Angeles, and from Rio de Janeiro to Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, and Shanghai, these long-awaited projects promise to enliven cities and spark conversations across continents. Enjoy the journey.
Sagrada Familia
Barcelona, Spain.
Photo by C. Messier.
After 144 years of construction, the Sagrada Familia is finally nearing completion, ‘right on time’ for the centenary of Antoni Gaudí’s death. Work began in 1882 and unfolded through generations, interrupted by funding shortages and the Spanish Civil War, during which many original drawings and models were destroyed. In recent years, digital technologies and Arup’s engineering support have accelerated progress, enabling the basilica to reach its final height and become the world’s tallest church.
Photo by SBA73 from Sabadell, Wikimedia.
In 2026, Barcelona has been designated UNESCO World Capital of Architecture. Throughout the year, the city will host an extensive programme of exhibitions, conferences, public debates, and open buildings, organised in collaboration with the UIA–International Union of Architects.
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
Los Angeles, United States.
© 2025 LMNA. Photo courtesy of Hathaway Dinwiddie. Photo by Pedro Ramirez.
This year, all eyes are on Los Angeles as well. On 22 September, MAD Architects will inaugurate the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, its fluid, spaceship-like form hovering between architecture and imagination. Dedicated to cinema, illustration, and visual storytelling, the museum embodies its founder’s ambitions. “I am an avid architectural fan, and I wanted a special museum that was a work of art in itself.” Said George Lucas. Inside, more than 40,000 works span centuries, from Renoir and Degas’ paintings to Darth Vader’s iconic masks. Read more…
LACMA’s expansion
Los Angeles, United States.
Photo by Iwan Baan.
Continuing the city’s cultural momentum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)’s newest expansion project, the David Geffen Galleries, will open in April, stretching gracefully across Wilshire Boulevard. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winner Peter Zumthor, the single, sinuous volume rests on seven unevenly distributed pavilions. The project introduces 110,000 square feet of gallery space alongside more than three acres of outdoor areas. Glass and concrete combine in a deliberately restrained language, offering a calm yet monumental home for the museum’s permanent collection.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates.
Photo by Dominik Gehl.
Two decades after its announcement, the “intentionally messy” Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by the late Frank Gehry may finally reach completion this year. Located on Saadiyat Island’s evolving cultural district, the museum offers 13,000 square metres of galleries organised around an atrium and linked by glass bridges. Eleven cone-shaped structures host additional exhibition spaces for site-specific contemporary works. “I hope that this building is embraced by the people of the UAE and that this work will endure as a landmark for the country for many years to come,” said Gehry, who passed away in December 2025.
Shanghai Grand Opera House
China.
Photo by MIR and Snøhetta.
Located in the Expo Houtan neighbourhood, the Shanghai Grand Opera House by Snøhetta unfolds like a vast fan, echoing the kinetic energy of dance and collective movement. The expressive rooftop doubles as a public landscape, reinforcing a sense of civic ownership. Inside, three auditoriums and generous amenities aim to attract audiences across generations. The fan motif permeates the entire building, shaping the lobby, halls, and performance spaces into a coherent architectural narrative. Read more…
Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art
China.
Photo by © Ye Jianyuan.
Looking forward to the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, a 60,000 sqm constellation of 12 linked pavilions that celebrates the Chinese city’s garden heritage and takes visitors on a journey through art, nature, and water. At its heart lies a sweeping ribbon-like roof whose branching eaves form sheltered walkways across the site. As BIG notes, “Set against the lake’s open expanse, the soft catenary curves of the roofs create an elegant silhouette along the waterfront. Observed from above, the stainless roof tiles present an authentic fifth facade.” Read more…
Arena Santa Giulia
Milan, Italy.
Visual by Onirism Studio.
In Milan, Arena Santa Giulia will open in February as part of a broader regeneration plan. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects with Arup, it will host ice hockey during the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Afterwards, the arena will seat up to 16,000 spectators for sports, concerts, and cultural events. Luminous ribbons wrap the elliptical form, recalling Milan’s former Roman amphitheatre and “giving a contemporary expression to a historic archetype and creating a new place for gathering and collective entertainment.” Read more…
New Museum’s extension
New York City, United States.
Courtesy of New Museum.
Across the Pacific, New York’s New Museum is preparing a significant expansion by OMA, in collaboration with Cooper Robertson. Complementing SANAA’s original building, the extension doubles exhibition space through an angular form clad in laminated glass and metal mesh. OMA has carved out the lower portion to create a street-level plaza, while triangular terraces above open generous views across the city, reinforcing the museum’s civic presence. Read more…
Tashkent’s Centre for Contemporary Arts
Uzbekistan.
© Studio KO. Courtesy of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation.
This March, Studio KO will unveil Tashkent’s new Centre for Contemporary Arts, the first institution of its kind in Central Asia. Housed within a revitalised 1912 industrial building, once a diesel station and tram depot, the centre supports exhibitions, education, residencies, and research. Rooted in Uzbekistan’s artisanal legacy, the project positions the country more confidently within global contemporary art discourse.
Waterfront Cultural Center
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Visual by KKAA.
In Copenhagen, Kengo Kuma and Associates have completed the Waterfront Cultural Center and harbour baths, weaving architecture seamlessly into the city’s relationship with water. With no single front, the complex is accessible from all sides, encouraging fluid movement between interior spaces and the harbour’s edge. Cone-shaped volumes are subtly pushed and pulled to generate varied spatial atmospheres, blurring boundaries between landscape, building, and public life.
Glasshouse Theatre
Brisbane, Australia.
Courtesy of Snøhetta.
Brisbane’s Queensland Performing Arts Centre welcomes the Glasshouse Theatre in late March. Designed by Blight Rayner Architecture with Snøhetta, the 1,500-seat venue features a rippled glass façade inspired by the Brisbane River. The theatre aims to host world premieres and major national productions, expanding QPAC’s capacity while celebrating the city’s vibrant performing arts scene through a distinctly contemporary architectural expression.
The V&A East
London, United Kingdom.
© O’Donnell + Tuomey, Ninety90.
London expands its cultural map with the opening of the V&A East on 18 April. Designed by Dublin-based O’Donnell + Tuomey, the five-storey, angular structure introduces two new galleries dedicated to the museum’s collections. Faceted façades, large triangular windows, and three outdoor terraces frame views across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, positioning the institution firmly within the city’s evolving eastern landscape.
Centre des Cultures et Spiritualités Ewés
Notsè, Togo.
Visual by Kéré Architecture.
Kéré Architecture’s 7,000-square-metre Centre des Cultures et Spiritualités Ewés celebrates the heritage of the Ewé people in the West African nation on the Gulf of Guinea. Organised around the ancient Agbogbo wall and the Agbogbodzi Sanctuary, the masterplan reconnects past and present. A new spiral tower symbolises ascent, linking divinity, ancestors, and the heavens. Architecture here becomes both a cultural archive and a spiritual marker within the landscape.
KANAL-Centre Pompidou
Brussels, Belgium.
Photo by Bart Grietens.
The Kanal-Centre Pompidou, Brussels’ first modern and contemporary art museum in the former Citroën garage, is scheduled to open on November 28 officially. Designed by Atelier Kanal—which consists of Sergison Bates architects, noAarchitecten, and EM2N—the 12,500-square-meter cultural hub will combine permanent and temporary exhibition space with performance venues, an architecture centre, a library, restaurants, a bakery, and a café. Crucially, KANAL aims to address a long-standing gap in the country’s cultural infrastructure by ensuring its collection incorporates significant Belgian artworks.
The Museum of Image and Sound
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Visual by DS+R.
After more than a decade of delays, Rio’s Museum of Image and Sound is preparing for a soft opening early this year. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro as a vertical reinterpretation of Copacabana’s iconic pavement patterns, the building stacks galleries, education spaces, an auditorium, cafés, and an outdoor rooftop cinema. Fully opening later in the year, the ‘vertical boulevard’ offers elevated views to all, democratising perspectives usually reserved for beachfront elites.
Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group – Photo by © StudioSZ Photo / Justin Szeremeta.
Shanghai Grand Opera House – Visual by MIR and Snøhetta, courtesy of Snøhetta.
New Museum building expansion by OMA in New York City – Courtesy of New Museum.
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art by MAD architects in Los Angeles – © 2025 Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Photo courtesy of Hathaway Dinwiddie. Photo by Pedro Ramirez.
