Summer 2018 – HOPE mural by Alfalfa – Photo by Bloop Festival.

Summer 2018 – Who said that summer is a quiet season for architecture and design? It’s actually the best moment to explore new cities and countries and – in the meantime – discover brilliant projects, installations, festivals and even design weeks. We can prove it, check these 7 experiences you might not be able to explore after the Autumn equinox on September 23.

• RELATED STORIES: Feel the summer vibe on Archipanic…

Coralarium inter-tidal art museum

Fairmont Madives Sirru Fen Fushi – Maldives.

Coralarium by Jason Decaires Taylor.

Jason Decaires Taylor has just completed the Coralarium, the first inter-tidal art museum at Fairmont Madives Sirru Fen Fushi. The project is the island’s first coral regeneration project and comprises a stainless steel semi-submerged tidal gallery space that exhibits a series of sculptural artworks on the skyline, inter-tidal waterline and seabed. “We aim to to create a direct pathway to the ocean utilizing the island resort’s long swimming pool to denote a starting point in which guests can explore the clear shallow waters of the sea.” Watch more…

Bloop Festival

August 23 – September 3 – Ibiza, Spain.

HOPE mural by Alfalfa – Photo by Bloop Festival.

Ibiza is not only about clubbing and sun-bathing but culture too. Join Bloop Festival to explore the most quirky and alternative side of the island. International street artists, designers and djs gather for unexpected events and live performances. This year, Alfalfa contributed to the festival’s open air gallery with 25 murals delivering a message of “hope for for those who need it the most,” explains the artist. Bloop festival aims to change the face of a city that has been a victim of heavy real estate speculation working with some of the most acclaimed street-artist across the globe. Join their workshops and party with them. Find out more…

Burning Man

August 26 – September 3, Black Rock City – Nevada, US.

The ORB by Bjarke Ingles and Jaco@ Burning Man 2018 – Courtesy of BIG.

Black Rock City is set to rise from its ashes again for the most iconic summer festival of the planet: Burning Man. Participants – a.k.a. Burners – co-create a temporary metropolis dedicated to art and community. This year’s theme I, Robot, takes inspiration from Isaac Asimov’s  iconic sci-fi novel to explore our love-hate relationship with new technologies. Mamou-Mani Architects will build – and then burn – a twisting temple 3D-printed from a mandala while Bjarke Ingels is planning to install a huge mirrored sphere floating over The Playa. Read more…

Echigo-Tsumari Triennale

July 29 – September 17 – Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

MAD Architects @ Echigo-Tsumari Triennale.

The wild mountains of the Niigata Prefecture on the Japanese Western coast are getting ready for the Echigo-Tsumari Triennale. Hundreds of exhibitions and events encourage to discover “new ways of thinking about art, beyond the urban focus of 20th-century art”. MAD Architects installed a shallow pool in the Kiyotsu Tunnel overlooking a luxurious gorge. Marina Abramovich’s Dream House is an installation set within an old Japanese farmhouse and requires its overnight guests to remain silent throughout the entirety of their stay. Read more…

DW! Design Weekend São Paulo

August 29 – September 2 – São Paulo, Brazil.

Pavilion Biennial Ibirapuera Park – Photo by Dre Batista.

DW! Design Weekend São Paulo takes over the Brazilian city with hundreds of events and exhibitions, trade fairs and cocktail parties celebrating Latin American design. Among the highlights: the architecture forum BoomSPDesign, and High Design Expo, dedicated to international high-end furniture with solutions for architecture and interior design projects. Make sure to visit the MADE Mercado.Arte.Design collectibles design fair in the stunning Pavilion of the Biennial designed by Oscar Nyemeyer in the Ibirapuera Park.

Bruges’ Triennial

Until September 16 – Bruges, Belgium.

Skyscraper installation by Studio KCA – Photo via @studiokca, IG.

Cobbled lanes, calm canals and quaint, medieval buildings. Bruges is a a fairy-tale city. But this summer, the city’s Triennale invited 15 contemporary artists and architects from all over the world to create otherworldly, eye-catching installations that transform the façade of the town. Expect whales jumping out of the canals, sustainable Nigerian floating schools and vivid pink translucent sun-bathing platforms. Read more…

Venice Architecture Biennale

Until November 25 – Venice, Italy.

“Bamboo Stalactite” installatiopn by Vo Trong Nghia/VTN Architects – Photo by Francesco Galli – Courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia.

Explore the status of the art of architecture on show at the most influential architecture event worldwide. Curated by Ivonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects, La Biennale di Venezia 2018 focuses on “the power of architecture to improve our cities and lives through the creation of public and free spaces”. Discover incredible venues and pavilions at the Arsenale and Giardini – we particularly enjoyed the V&A Exhibition, the German, Israeli and Australian Pavilion – or visit brilliant palazzos such as Fondazione Berengo which hosts an exhibition celebrating the iconic designs of the Memphis Group. Make sure to explore the new Vatican Gardens on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore featuring chapels by Norman Foster, Eduardo Souto de Moura and more, or enter into the dreams of Pritzker Prize graduates RCR Arquitectes in the Catalan Pavilion on San Pietro in Castello island. Find out more and read our full report on Venice Biennale 2018…

Summer 2018 – Venice Architecture Biennale.