Wormhole Library by MAD Architects is nearing completion in China
The sensuously curved and multi-functional organic concrete structure of the Wormhole Library is punctured, creating voids of varying sizes that let the light into the interiors.
David Altrath portrays the ominous interiors of the Stasi Headquarters in Berlin
German photographer David Altrath has captured the perfectly preserved interiors of the Stasi Headquarters in Berlin, now a museum, memorial and research centre ‘against the sleep of reason’.
Zecc Architecten clads the Steel Craft House with a Corten steel façade
Hand-made for over ten years by Zecc Architercten, its residents and their befriended craftsmen, the Steel Craft House is a fine example of self-building.
House of Hungarian Music by Sou Fujimoto is nearing completion in Budapest
Inspired by sound waves, Sou Fujimoto’s ‘House of Hungarian Music’ is topped by a white roof, punctuated with almost 100 holes for trees to grow through.
Abin Design Studio’s Gallery House in Bansberia is cladded with ceramic and terracotta bricks
Inspired by terracotta temples found in the Indian state of West Bengal, the Gallery House community centre “is a humane gesture of giving back to the local community, without disrupting the privacy and security of inner functions.”
Jean Nouvel unveils the sustainable ‘Aquarela’ residential complex in Ecuador
Verdant balconies and green canyons define Jean Nouvel’s biophilic high-rise AQUARELA apartment complex near Quito, aiming to combine sustainability with social justice.
Claesson Koivisto Rune completes the beach ‘House of Many Courtyards’
The Swedish Studio has sliced and dislocated the building to ’double’ its volume. The ‘House of Many Courtyards’ has the appearance of a series of individual boxes; in reality, it is one interior connected via a 40-metre-long, end-to-end, central corridor overlooking multiple courtyards.
Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter designs 48°Nord landscape-hotel in France
Plunged in the northeastern French countryside, 48°Nord sustainable village hotel combines Scandinavian countryside cottages architecture with local traditions.
Opposite Office envisions a Capitol Castle to raise awareness on democracy
As a reaction to the storm on the Capitol by Donald Trump’s supporters, Opposite Office designed a dystopian Capitol Castle architecture to convert the US presidential building to a fortress to protect democracy.
Goodbye Donald! A Trumpian architecture and design round-up
As Joe Biden becomes the 46th President of the United States, we look into Trump’s controversial legacy. Goodbye Donald!
24 architectural museums and cultural venues to look forward in 2021: from Tutankhamen to Aviici!
Discover 24 architectural museums opening in 2021: from Kengo Kuma’s Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Denmark to Jean Nouvel’s Pudong Museum of Art in Shanghai, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza and the Aviici Experience in Stockholm.
2021 architecture and design calendar and events guide
We rounded up the architecture and design calendar of 2021 including major events, fairs and exhibitions from Dubai to Milan and Shanghai.
Best of 2020: 8 urban stories from China to the Italian Alps
Top 8 urban stories of 2020: Stockholm’s underground art trail, transparent Tokyo public toilets and a sport campus hidden under a green hilly landscape in China.
2020 Best Architecture: 12 great stories from Dubai to the Arctic
2020 Best Architecture: an Arctic whale watching facility, a pitched-roof garden house in Beverly Hills and a sustainable micro-library in Indonesia are among our favourite architectures of the year.
2020 round up: best 10 COVID-19 related architecture and design stories
From shipping containers turned into ICUs to to ‘silent’ architectural photo-essays, functional & safe furnitures and iconic techno clubs reopening as art spaces. We rounded up 10 Covid-19 related architecture and design stories of 2020.
Electric Nemeton: Sam Jacob merges fairytale Christmas forests with London urban vibe
Drawing on the origins of the Christmas tree tradition, Sam Jacob Studio has completed THE ELECTRIC NEMETON, an urban installation playing with geometry, colour and light.
Benidorm Empty Hotels: Manuel Alvarez Diestro captures the impact of Covid-19 on the tourism industry
With the BENIDORM EMPTY HOTELS photo essay, Manuel Alvarez Diestro “provides a reflection on the devastating effects of the pandemic on the built environment”.
‘Related Stories’ architectural film series by JPAG Atelier narrates lockdown self-discovery as apartments became micro-cities
The pandemic has forced us to think hard and get creative to convert our homes from anti-pandemic prisons to friendlier, even productive living spaces. For the RELATED STORIES project, JPAG studio has created colorful billboards placed outside of Beirut apartments and short videos narrating the physical and emotional change each home has undergone.
Mad Architects’ Fenix Museum of Migration breaks ground in Rotterdam
An eye-catching whirlpool of panoramic stairs snakes through and tops the Fenix Museum of Migration, MAD Architects’ first cultural project in Europe, due to be completed in 2024.
Trumpitecture: US elections engage with architecture
From archi-bullying to flamboyant ego-towers. We look into US elections with a Trumpitecture architectural perspective.
Farewell Cini Boeri. Dame of Italian architecture and design dies, aged 96
Functionality and playfulness, sober minimalism and a distinct ‘pop’ attitude. Cini Boeri – one of the few female voices and minds defining Italy’s post war architecture and design – has passed away in her beloved city, Milan. In her carrier she pioneered engineering, industrial design and architecture putting people’s intimate joy at the center.
Venice Biennale 2020: THE DISQUIETED MUSES exhibition brings contemporary arts together
THE DISQUIETED MUSES exhibition showcases documents sourced from La Biennale’s archives cross-pollinating art, architecture, cinema, dance, theatre and music. The displays by Formafantasma combines unpainted frames and tables in plywood, colored textiles and black and white blown up pictures.
Welcome to Dublin! A contemporary architecture guide to the Irish capital
Brutalism in Trinity College, Temple Bar’s street art trails and a whiskey distillery in a medieval church. Welcome to Dublin! Explore Eileen Gray’s legacy, cross a Santiago Calatrava’s harp-inspired bridge and discover buildings by Daniel Libeskind, Grafton Architects and more…
ODOS Architects transforms dilapidated historical buildings in Dublin into The Mayson world class boutique hotel
The Mayson hotel: ODOS Architects redevelops two neglected buildings in Dublin by drawing on their existing, inherent characters.
McCullough Mulvin architects turns a former church into the Medieval Mile Museum
McCullough Mulvin architects combined sensitive restoration and contemporary design for the Medieval Mile Museum celebrating the heritage of Kilkenny, Ireland’s ancient capital.
MAD Architects’ Gardenhouse residential building was conceived as a luxuriant hillside village to boost a sense of community in Beverly Hills
Chinese firm MAD Architects has completed the Gardenhouse residential building that looks like a hilltop village and features the US’ “largest living wall”. White-off pitched roofs and a verdant communal courtyard bring residents together in the heart of Beverly Hills.
THE WHALE Museum by Dorte Mandrup will emerge from Arctic landscapes
THE WHALE museum and whale-watching facility by Dorte Mandrup Architects grows from the ground dissolving the lines between architecture and Norway’s Arctic wilderness while inviting to discover the fabled creatures through art, science and architecture.
Zaha Hadid Architects unveil Xi’an International Football Centre
A translucent roof and verdant terraces define the massive Xi’an International Football Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects conceived as a temple for sport lovers.
Shigeru Ban designs transparent public toilets in Shibuya, Tokyo
The transparent public toilets by the Pritzker Prize winner are part of a larger project inviting to literally see through and leave behind the usual cliches of parks loos.
Chybik + Kristof drape the Lahofer Winery with an undulating roof and amphitheater
The Lahofer Winery brings together the landscape and wine culture of the Moravian countryside in the Czech Republic with a vaulted visitor center, wine making production facilities and an open air venue for cultural events.