Archinect - News

Pelli Clarke & Partners opens Mori JP Tower, Japan's new tallest building

2024-03-18T13:56:00-04:00

Pelli Clarke & Partners has shared news of their completed work on the Mori JP Tower project inside the Azabudai Hills District in Tokyo. The new tallest building in Japan is a 64-story mixed-used design complementing the two other high-rise structures included in the redevelopment district and was completed last fall at a total height of 330 meters (1,082 feet).

“Mori JP Tower, and with it Azabudai Hills, is among the first buildings visitors see upon arrival to Tokyo, creating a new center and landmark for the city,” Mitch Hirsch, Partner at Pelli Clarke & Partners, said in a project announcement of the scheme. “To design a tower of this significance in a city renowned for its unique skyline is a privilege.”

Photo by Jason O'Rear

The building is designed to evoke the symmetry of a lotus flower form, clad in a distinctive pearl-grey glass curtain facade and topped by a crown made from four separate curved glass pedals.

Photo by Jason O'Rear

Photo by Jason O'Rear...

Facade installation underway on MAD Architects’ first North American residential rental tower

2024-03-06T15:38:00-05:00

Construction is progressing at Denver’s One River North, designed by MAD Architects.

The sixteen-story tower broke ground in late 2021 and represents MAD’s first residential rental building in the United States, expected to contain 187 units.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by One River North (@onerivernorth)

The scheme’s defining exterior element is a sharp carved opening midway up the tower, cutting through the upper section of the tower towards the roof. The opening will contain a network of footpaths and planting. A rooftop pool, spa, and garden areas complete the 216-foot-tall structure.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by One River North (@onerivernorth)

“If we regard modern cities as man-made landscapes on the earth, we need to design canyons, woods, creeks, and waterfalls, transforming concrete forests into second nature,” MAD founder Ma Yansong said about the development in 2021.

View this post on Instagram ...

OMA unveils design for Metropolitan Village residential tower in Taipei

2023-11-09T12:56:00-05:00

OMA has revealed plans for its first post-pandemic residential design in Taipei. The new Metropolitan Village project is being designed by OMA Managing Partner David Gianotten and Taiwan Project Director Chiaju Lin and calls for a 23-story tower comprised of interconnected volumes arranged around a central core.

Image: © WAX Architectural Visualizations, courtesy of OMA

Gianotten says: “Housing has become increasingly multi-functional since the pandemic. For many, it is no longer only a space for domestic activities but also for work, for socializing, for sports, among other happenings. Different than typical residential towers with identical living units, Metropolitan Village has different types of spaces that encourage the residents to define their own lifestyles. The result is a vibrant vertical Metropolitan village with a mix of activities.”

Image: © WAX Architectural Visualizations, courtesy of OMA

Metropolitan Village will be oriented front to back, with its front elevation add...

Explore images of Moreau Kusunoki's recently completed timber residential tower in Paris

2023-10-20T19:27:00-04:00

A 164-foot-tall timber tower designed by France and Australia-based firm Moreau Kusunoki has officially completed construction. The project features 77 housing units, serveing as a new residential center in the southeastern end of Paris.

The tower is distinct through its grid façade composed of charred and pre-weathered wood. The grid is envisioned as an inhabited wall, which functions as "a filter to keep the surrounding dense urban environment at a distance."

Image © Maris Mezulis

Each residential unit features a private exterior space carved out by the grid façade. The long proportions of this frame were determined by the building’s structural system.

According to the design team, the shape also serves to highlight the "verticality of the building," which allows it to blend in with the surrounding towers. Contrasting this more private, inhabited wall, a transparent public space is located at the base of the structure that opens to the city. Here, an art gallery and restaurant ar...

Barcode's new CasaNova residential project seeks a new social synergy in Rotterdam

2023-10-03T13:25:00-04:00

Barcode Architects has shared photos of the firm’s newly completed CasaNova residential tower project in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Defined by its triangular volume and hand-cut red natural stone-paneled facade, the 236,806-square-foot structure rises from a base plinth to a height of 36 stories, preferencing social connectivity throughout and via a 5th-floor outdoor roof garden that’s shared with residents of the firm’s smaller The Muse design from 2020.

Image: © Hans Wilschut, courtesy of Barcode Architects

The plinth also contains co-working spaces, a communal kitchen, a gym, and hotel rooms. Inside the tower, a total of 116 high-end residences offer sweeping 300-degree views of the city’s skyline. Triangular balconies totaling 161 square feet are formed at the corners of the tower, and residents are once again channeled toward a greater social cohesion which takes place on the walk from the parking garage entrance to the towe...

Adjaye Associates' 130 William debuts in Lower Manhattan

2023-06-30T19:15:00-04:00

David Adjaye’s statement-making first skyscraper design for the New York City market has debuted in Lower Manhattan, marking the culmination of a project that will stand as a testament to his attention to historical context and the elevation of craft in architecture.

The design for the 66-story 130 William residential tower in the heart of the Financial District includes a total of 242 units whose careful, well-appointed interiors are complemented by another 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and curated amenities apiece.

Image © Ivane Katamashvili

Photos of the newly-completed project reveal a range of built-in luxury options, including a small IMAX theater, two lounges, a golf simulator, basketball court, full-scale health club, infinity-edge spa pool, dry sauna, and yoga studio. The ten uppermost floors of the building are lined by loggia terraces, with a rooftop observation deck located on top that offers residents privileged views of the city’s skyline and harbor beyond....

UK Supreme Court rules in favor of residents in Tate Modern viewing platform case

2023-02-02T17:04:00-05:00

The owners of luxury flats opposite Tate Modern’s viewing gallery face an unacceptable level of intrusion that prevents them enjoying their homes, the supreme court has ruled. In a majority judgment, the court determined that the flat owners faced a “constant visual intrusion” that interfered with the “ordinary use and enjoyment” of their properties, extending the law of privacy to include overlooking – albeit only in extreme cases.

The suit was initiated by a quintet of residents of the RSHP-designed apartment tower in 2017, offering Oliver Wainwright (another) chance to comment on the class tensions which lie at the heart of many high-profile Greater London housing kerfuffles. It was later dismissed by a lower court judge before heading to the UK’s Supreme Court in August 2021. This week’s ruling did not however provide a remedy to fix the headaches caused by the 2016 Herzog & de Meuron extension with either a partition or any other kind of privacy shield.

Some speculate that the court’s decision may preface a torrent of pro-tenant privacy cases. In issuing his opinion, Justice George Leggatt wrote: “It is not difficult to imagine how oppressive living in such circumstances would feel for any ordinary person — much like being on display in a zoo.”

Pelli Clarke & Partners completes the tallest building in Mexico City

2023-01-23T11:01:00-05:00

Pelli Clarke & Partners has completed Torre Mítikah, the tallest building in Mexico City. Situated in the city’s Coyoacán neighborhood, the 877-foot-tall residential skyscraper is described by its designers as a “window to the heavens.”

Image credit: Jason O'Rear

Externally, the sleek tower features a gently curved taper on the north and south facades. The design approach for the form centered on creating a “timeless quality with a strong sense of stability,” and drew inspiration from the “Axis Mundi” concept: an imaginary vertical axis linking the earth and sky.

Image credit: Jason O'Rear

Inside, the scheme provides 1.1 million square feet of residential space composed of three different types of living space. While the tower's base is occupied by multi-story townhouses, the mid-levels house two and three-bedroom apartments. The upper levels are devoted to luxury penthouses with indoor gardens, exclusive terraces, and heliport access.

Image credit: Jason O'Rear

News of the tower’s com...

Studio Gang adds to Amsterdam's much-needed housing stock with its first-ever European project

2022-12-14T13:41:00-05:00

A new, two-tower mixed-use scheme from Studio Gang has been delivered in Amsterdam, representing a first for the firm on the continent as it looks to grow outside of the American market with recent expansions into Canada and now the EU.

The 297,170-square-foot Q Residences are meant to address the capital region’s considerable housing needs with a scheme that adds 248 total residences located in the center of Buitenveldert – one of the last “garden cities” constructed in Amsterdam following the conclusion of World War II.

Image © Kees Hummel via Studio Gang

Studio Gang says their design “brings a more organic, sculptural feel to the rational rectilinearity of the surrounding 1950s developments.” Its two volumes distribute the residential program into mid- and high-rise forms dubbed Qube and Quartz, respectively. A series of angled balconies are set at staggering depths and cascade down the taller structure in what the architects described as an origami-like pattern. The mid-rise Qub...

OMA completes stepped Greenpoint Landing towers in Brooklyn

2022-12-08T11:36:00-05:00

Construction has been completed on OMA’s Eagle + West towers along the Brooklyn waterfront. Designed in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle, the towers represent OMA’s first high-rise scheme in New York.

The 600,000-square-foot development comprises two towers and a seven-story building, holding a total of 745 residential units. The two towers lean into and away from each other, with expanding and contracting forms determined by an attempt to maximize internal efficiency. While the forty-story tower widens as it rises in order to maximize views, the thirty-story tower widens towards the ground to face the waterfront.

Image credit: Jason O'Rear

The stepped massing of the towers sees the form broken into seven-to-eight-story blocks, reflecting the scale of neighboring buildings, according to the architects. The subdivision is further expressed on the façade itself, where a grid of precast concrete panels is carved by angled planes alternating in orientatio...

BIG and Safdie complete jagged new tower additions to Quito's skyline

2022-12-07T05:00:00-05:00

A pair of landmark projects in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito is now complete, representing firsts for both BIG and Safdie Architects, respectively.

QORNER, the 24-story Safdie-designed tower, is the firm’s first residential project on the continent and serves as an extension of its founder’s indoor-outdoor vision with garden terrace-lined residential offerings from the micro-apartment to the penthouse level.

IQON (left) and QORNER (right). Image courtesy of Uribe Schwarzkopf.

QORNER. Image courtesy of Uribe Schwarzkopf.

Its northern facade features a living green wall that defines a vertical core, while the staggering of its eastern and western facades creates a “hillside” form resembling a “cliff face” with room for double-height corner terraces with views of neighboring La Carolina Park.

QORNER. Image courtesy of Uribe Schwarzkopf.

Finally, a tree-lined infinity pool is placed on the rooftop level in a nod to their iconic Marina Bay Sand...

HKS debuts revised plans for Texas’ tallest high-rise

2022-11-15T13:13:00-05:00

[...] Wilson Capital announced this morning that its redevelopment of the Avenue Lofts site will be significantly larger than previously reported. The multifamily residential building planned for the 0.8-acre property at 410 East Fifth Street, now known as Wilson Tower, is set to rise 80 floors to a total height of 1,035 feet — and yes, that would make the project the new tallest tower in Texas upon completion, exceeding the height of the Waterline supertall project [...]

HKS is behind the Wilson Tower project, which will complement the 43-story 700 River development that broke ground recently on a tract fast becoming Austin’s “second” downtown. The would-be new record-setter had been previously planned for only 54 stories and is now advertising lets for its 450 available luxury units. Amenities like a movie theater and indoor dog run are included in a four-story block. The rest of the program appears standard fare for a city that now boasts nine of the wealthiest 1,000 neighborhoods in the country.

Image courtesy HKS/Wilson Capital

"I don't think the need for housing is going anywhere," an unnamed developer told Austin Business Journal, referencing the state capital’s dual status as the fastest-growing city in America. "Looking into the future, when this building is planned to come online, we still see Austin with the incredibly strong fundamentals needed to support a project like this."

Image courtesy HKS/Wilson Capital

...

Cladding fire breaks out in 35-story Dubai apartment tower

2022-11-07T17:00:00-05:00

A massive fire was reported in the early hours of Monday morning at the 8 Boulevard Walk Tower in Downtown Dubai. Located near the Burj Khalifa, the 35-storey tower was ablaze and was extinguished just before 4am. The building seems to have extensive fire damage on the façade spanning through all floors.

The cause of the fire is unknown but appears to have been affected by the structure’s cladding, which residents told The Daily Mail was supposed to be replaced following a New Year’s Eve blaze in 2015 that caused significant damage to the nearby Address Downtown Dubai hotel.

1/ #Dubai

The Emaar skyscraper of the largest developer in Dubai partially burned down

The fire started early this morning near the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. pic.twitter.com/frFKZI1zu9
— David Kime (@CyberRealms1) November 7, 2022

Similar incidents prior to this have raised concerns for the safety of high-rises in Dubai completed before 2012 during a torrent of construction in the capital. According to some reports, at least 500 buildings in the UAE are susceptible owing to the combustibility of their cladding, which contains the same thermoplastic material likely to have fueled the deadly 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London. No injuries have been reported.

This is now the second large fire...

Pininfarina unveils new green luxury tower design in Mérida, Mexico

2022-06-17T13:28:00-04:00

Pininfarina has released project images of their Light Towers design for a new residential development in the metropolitan city Mérida along the Yucatan Peninsula.

According to the architects, “The structure will consist of two distinct buildings rising 15 and 17 floors high, connected by a five-story base to form a v-shape. Anchoring the heart of Pininfarina's concept, a green valley fills the open-air core of the vertical community extending upward from the base of the structure––embracing the development’s Mexican roots and symbolizing the path ahead; a nod to new ideas, fresh perspectives, and hope for future generations.”

The new Light Towers for developers Branson will be Pininfarina’s first branded project in Mexico. The firm’s chief architect Samuele Sordi calls is at “a pivotal moment in its growth,” adding that “we look forward to leading the way with an example of how a multidisciplinary design approach can create a thoughtful balance between urban density and sprawl as t...

First photos of Odile Decq's just-completed Barcelona debut

2022-06-08T13:39:00-04:00

Odile Decq has just announced the completion of her latest residential tower project called the Antares Barcelona.

Located along the Plaça de Llevant and characterized by a brilliant black, red, and white color scheme and layers of curved terraces, the tower rises 26 floors above Barcelona’s Museo Blau and Blue Flag Mediterranean beaches to hold 88 residential units in what is the French architect’s first-ever Barcelona design.

Image © Fernando Guerra

Each unit was personally designed by Decq and includes a suite of amenities. Per the architect, “This includes a 1,000-square-meter wellness area with a gym, steam rooms & sauna, green wall, indoor pool, yoga cocoon pods, a Sky Terrace with a rooftop infinity pool providing 360° unobstructed views of Barcelona, and a fully landscaped garden and outdoor pavilion.”

Image © Pere Peris

Image © Fernando Guerra

Decq said she set out to design a “truly innovative b...

SHoP's 111 West 57th Street supertall tower is one important step closer to completion

2022-04-05T20:00:00-04:00

A milestone development on the way to what is one of the most anticipated new openings of the year as the exteriors have been completed on SHoP’s award-winning 111 West 57th Street supertall tower in Midtown Manhattan.

Once completed, the building will stand as the second-tallest residential structure in the Western Hemisphere and sit atop the landmark Steinway Hall building, which houses 14 of the 60 total full-floor and duplex residences located within the 1,428-foot-tall development.

Video courtesy of SHoP Architects.

The exterior is defined by a stepped design that tapers along the south-facing facade as it reaches ever skyward to create a dramatic visual statement in combination with an east-west oriented terra cotta pilaster cladding system and a 300-foot decorative steel crown.

Photo by Evan Joseph, image courtesy SHoP Architects.

Per the architects: “The intricate façade is designed to be viewed from multiple scales and vantage points: Terra cotta panels with 22 different ...

Studio Gang's first Canadian project offers 45 stories of upscale living

2022-03-29T08:30:00-04:00

Studio Gang’s first foray north of the border has produced a noteworthy new design in the form of Toronto’s One Delisle.

The residential tower is scheduled to be completed in 2026 and will feature a collection of penthouses on the upper three floors each spanning either one-half or one-third of the dynamic, 16-sided facade.

Rendering by Norm Li. Image courtesy Studio Gang.

Image courtesy Studio Gang

The studio drew its inspiration for the distinctive penthouse terraces from a traditional German beach chair design called a Strandkorb. Each outdoor space is protected by the building’s unique architecture, allowing for a year-round experience in tune with the local climate and lifestyle.

On the interior, each unit features a natural stone fireplace and wine cabinets that stand out among the open floor plan and sleek island-centered kitchen.

Rendering by Norm Li. Image courtesy Studio Gang.

Other hotel-style amenities featured in each penthouse include a gym, dry sauna, Himalayan salt roo...

North Korea breaks ground on the next phase of its 50,000-unit development plan

2022-02-28T11:12:00-05:00

North Korea has started work on a sprawling 10,000-apartment residential project as the country embarks on a housing drive in its capital, Pyongyang. Though few design details have been disclosed, digital renderings of the development show towers rising on both sides of a leafy boulevard in an area of the capital called Hwasong. A larger skyscraper, which appears to be at least 40 stories tall, is also depicted in the plans.

North Korea says it is on track to develop some 50,000 new residences in the capital in phases within the next 2-3 years. The rogue state has faced considerable housing shortages in the past and now looks to rebound from two years of economically-stifled developmental setbacks to create a "new world of a prosperous power where the people enjoy the highest dignity and the best happiness."

Much of Pyongyang’s transformation into a “socialist fairyland” stems in large part from plans put forth in a 2016 directive from leader Kim Jung Un and developed mostly anonymously and at “Pyongyang Speed” by the Paektusan Academy of Architecture. The primacy of the construction push is being further underscored by the incorporation of laborers taken from the state’s various military academies, which are being leaned on for the first time in an attempt to overcome supply chain issues related to economic sanctions and a marked decline in trade with China.

MAD Architects breaks ground on its ripped-open first North American residential rental project

2021-11-09T13:18:00-05:00

Continuing with their recent expansion into the United States, MAD has officially broken ground on a new residential development in Denver called One River North.

Courtesy Colorado Drone Images

The Beijing and Los Angeles-based firm is looking to cement its footprint in North America with a sixteen-story tower for one of Denver’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Located in the River North Art District (RiNo) just above Coors Field and the city’s downtown business center, the new development will feature187 residential units carved into a sculptural, curvilinear tower with a jagged open chasm and four hikeable footpaths, providing users with an unencumbered view of the majestic Rocky Mountains from which its shape takes inspiration.

Courtesy One River North

A rooftop pool, spa, and garden areas complete the 216-foot-tall structure with a water feature to further enhance the deliberate sense of connection between residents and the natural world created by Ma Yansong’s design team.

Courtesy O...

Judge issues final ruling on challenge that would have cut down 200 Amsterdam

2021-09-14T14:25:00-04:00

A zoning battle over the height of a planned residential tower in Manhattan’s Upper West Side has been resolved in the New York Supreme Court, ending a yearslong legal dispute that was seen by some as a potential harbinger for luxury development schemes in the nation’s largest city.

200 Amsterdam came under scrutiny almost immediately after being announced in 2016 from a slate of organizations who claimed the 52-story apartment building was able to exploit a loophole in order to obtain the building permits necessary to put a high-rise development in a neighborhood that has traditionally been residential.

The Elkus Manfredi-designed building saw its initial permit temporarily revoked in 2017 thanks to a challenge filed with the city’s Department of Buildings. The permit was re-issued that September, and what followed was a torrent of lawsuits, reviews, stop-work issues, and an attempt at obtaining a restraining order that was eventually denied.

All the while work continued on the s...

The EU's tallest residential building is finally complete after 15 years

2021-07-29T12:30:00-04:00

Following a 15-year construction period marred with setbacks, the approximately 650-foot, M-shaped Intempo skyscraper has been completed in the Spanish resort city of Benidorm.

The 47-story apartment building, consisting of 256 units, is now the tallest residential skyscraper in the European Union and the tallest of any type in Spain outside of Madrid. It is also one of the world’s tallest buildings in a city with fewer than 100,000 residents. Its twin towers also feature Spain’s fastest elevator, which rises at a rate of about 13.8 feet per second, able to reach the top floor in 52 seconds, according to The Guardian. The towers are connected by a prominent cone-shaped structure, which houses the penthouse units.

Image: Doblecaña/Wikipedia

It seems like a miracle that Intempo has been fully realized. Designed by architects Pérez-Guerras and Olcina & Radúan, the design of the building was officially presented in 2006 and work began in 2007. It was originally scheduled for completion i...

Herzog & de Meuron reveals new images of its first-ever UK residential tower

2021-07-27T08:00:00-04:00

Photos for the new One Park Drive development in London’s Canary Wharf neighborhood have been released this week by Herzog & de Meuron. The project represents the Swiss firm’s second major development in the city following the cancellation of a planned football stadium last year and the completion of the Tate Modern’s Switch House in 2016.

Image courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron/Lee Mawdsley

The 58-story residential tower distinguishes itself from the surrounding neighborhood in a cylindrical form containing 484 apartment units whose function is contrasted by the area’s predominantly commercial spaces. 22 floors of blocky stepped one- and two-bedroom apartments sit atop a rounded base which houses 9 floors of curving balcony-lined apartments and an arrangement of amenities including a built-in library and cinema space. Another 25 floors of larger apartments top out the building with balconies included. Seven duplex apartments will be installed on the top two floors later this year.

Ima...

Carlos Zapata Studio designs residential tower in Ecuador featuring a 3-story open-air communal area

2020-12-02T15:33:00-05:00

Developer Uribe Schwarzkopf and architects Carlos Zapata Studio unveiled its first project together. Called "Unique," the 24-story mixed-use residential tower is located in Quito, Ecuador. One of its defining features is a three-story communal area at the midpoint of the building, which features a pool and outdoor lounge, and vertical gardens, dividing the lower and upper levels.

The 99-unit tower is located at the heart of a metropolitan and residential district close to La Carolina park, which offers generous green space, business districts, and bars and restaurants.

"As our first residential building in Ecuador, we were inspired by Quito’s particular geographical setting – the surrounding valleys and the Andes mountains and volcanoes, the busy city streets, and ample green space," said Carlos Zapata in a statement. "It’s always exciting to make your mark on a skyline, and we wanted to represent Quito properly and embrace its bountiful natural surroundings and dynamic community."

T...

IBI Group's gridded Axis Condos add honeycombed patterning to Toronto's skyline

2020-05-20T16:51:00-04:00

IBI Group has completed work on the 38-story Axis Condos development in downtown Toronto. Design for the 541-unit tower was lead by IBI Group Global Director of Buildings Mansoor Kazerouni.

According to the architects, the graphically patterned glass tower offers a six-story podium filled with retail and residential spaces, including "small format" storefronts along the ground floor and a setback facade that allows for the sidewalk surrounding the building to stretch to nearly 20-feet in width. At the corner of the project site, the building pulls back further to create spaces for al fresco dining.

The podium level is matched with that of a neighboring tower complex in order to "ensure a consistency in the scale of the street wall," the architects write.

Offering angled balconies separated by thick white-walled partitions, the tower rises to its full height patterned in a honeycomb design along its northern and southern facades. The tower's more spartan east and west exposures rise...

Goettsch Partners designs undulating residential tower in Nashville

2020-04-17T13:22:00-04:00

Global firm Goettsch Partners (GP) has designed Alcove, a new residential tower in Nashville, Tennessee. Developed by Giarratana LLC, the project rises 34-stories and includes 356 residential units with a total of 375,800 square feet. The building features a rooftop game room, to pools, and several communal "alcoves."

Composed as a series of stacked and shifting cubes, the undulating form is grouped into four levels, each split into two sections. The residential units are designed to function as either apartments or condominiums; The project includes 32 studios, 224 one-bedroom units, and 100 two-bedroom units.

"The design of the project is driven by the developer’s goal of 'visually stimulating' architecture and the desire to create unique spaces and vantage points in the center of the building," said Vladimir Andrejevic, AIA, principal and senior project designer at GP in a statement. "In some cases, you will be able to step off the elevator and immediately overlook the city."

...

Images of Odile Decq's first residential building in Barcelona are unveiled

2019-12-11T12:15:00-05:00

Famed French architect Odile Decq reveals images of her first residential project in Barcelona. The studio is responsible for designing the interiors as well as the architecture for the luxury residential tower that is located along the Mediterranean Sea. According to Decq and her team each residential home within the tower is "designed with sensory, visionary living in mind."

Its exterior exhibits bold red color accents and curved terraces while it's interiors and furnished pieces, also designed by Decq, ring true to the architect's desires to bridge her evocative yet gentle approach to design. According to a press statement, Decq was chosen for the project by the tower's developer Luxenborg-based Shaftsbury due to the "bold and dramatic architectural statement" Decq would deliver.

Musician-turned-designer Pharrell Williams moves into architecture with a two-tower project in Toronto

2019-11-07T14:07:00-05:00

We've seen some of pop culture's most prominent figures break into architecture in recent years. There was Brad Pitt's "informal apprenticeship" with Frank Gehry and his subsequent Make It Right Foundation. We have Kanye West, and his exploratory activities within the field of affordable housing, as well. And now, we have Pharrell Williams: The Grammy Award-winning artist and entrepreneur is also stepping into the world of architectural design.

The musician has partnered with Reserve Properties and Westdale Properties on a new two-towered residential development in Toronto, Canada. Williams worked with architects at IBI Group and interior designers at U31 on various facets of the design, ranging from the facade material to the interior furniture. "The opportunity to apply my ideas and viewpoint to the new medium of physical structures has been amazing," Williams said in a statement.

The development will be called Untitled, celebrating the "universality of space," a concept that was...

Thomas Heatherwick reveals EDEN, his newest residential project in Singapore

2019-04-19T14:44:00-04:00

Thomas Heatherwick's name has circulated through the media thanks to his affiliation with Hudson Yards and his unforgettable public centerpiece whose given name is yet to be confirmed. The infamous Vessel has received several responses and critiques. However, with Hudson Yard's recent opening a little over a month ago Heatherwick has been busy working on the unveiling of another project in Singapore.

Recently, the British designer's name has been primarily linked and eclipsed by Hudson Yard's "Vessel." However, in Singapore Heatherwick Studio showcases its newest residential project. The tower stands 20-stories tall within Singapore's Draycott Park in the Orchard Road Neighborhood. Named "Eden," the tower is said to be an application and case-study of "globalized architectural replication and environmentalism."

OMA completes first residential tower for Norra Tornen project in Stockholm

2018-11-08T15:49:00-05:00

The Innovation Tower in Stockholm designed by OMA/Reinier de Graaf has opened this morning. It is the first of two residential towers designed by the Dutch firm that will comprise the Norra Tornen project. Rising 30 and 35 stories high, the twin towers will become the tallest residential project in inner Stockholm.

Photograph by Laurian Ghinitoiu, Courtesy of OMA

The design of the towers is based on a modular system of prefabricated elements made from exposed concrete. In a tribute to brutalist architecture, the towers are characterized by bay windows (a precious asset in a country with scarce daylight for half of the year) and recessed terraces laid out to create a rising zigzag pattern reminiscent of Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67 in Montreal.

Photograph by Laurian Ghinitoiu, Courtesy of OMA

Norra Tornen represents a milestone achievement for the firm, who wanted to introduce a new way of living in a city center with a housing stock large...

Construction starts for Zaha Hadid Architects' Bora Residential Tower in Mexico City

2017-11-09T14:25:00-05:00

Construction is underway for the upcoming Bora Residential Tower, which is set to be the tallest building of its kind in Mexico City. Client Nemesis Capital commissioned Zaha Hadid Architects to design the tower back in 2015.

Located in the growing Santa Fe business district near the 28-hectare La Mexicana park, the 50-floor tower will include 220 apartment units of various sizes for families, professionals, and retirees. Each apartment is designed to allow natural light and ventilation, ensure privacy, and offer panoramic views. Units are also surrounded by balconies so that residents can enjoy the local temperate climate.

Lobby of the Bora Residential Tower in Mexico City by Zaha Hadid Architects. Rendering: LabTop.

Bora Residential Tower in Mexico City by Zaha Hadid Architects. Rendering: LabTop.

The tower tapers at its base and features “swirling” canopies under which recreational and leisure activities can take place. ZHA optimized flexibility and ductility in their design, to be...

Archinect - News

Pelli Clarke & Partners​ opens Mori JP Tower, Japan's new tallest building

Facade installation underway on MAD Architects’ first North American residential rental tower

OMA unveils design for Metropolitan Village residential tower in Taipei

Explore images of Moreau Kusunoki's recently completed timber residential tower in Paris

Barcode's new CasaNova residential project seeks a new social synergy in Rotterdam

Adjaye Associates' 130 William debuts in Lower Manhattan

UK Supreme Court rules in favor of residents in Tate Modern viewing platform case

Pelli Clarke & Partners completes the tallest building in Mexico City

Studio Gang adds to Amsterdam's much-needed housing stock with its first-ever European project

OMA completes stepped Greenpoint Landing towers in Brooklyn

BIG and Safdie complete jagged new tower additions to Quito's skyline

HKS debuts revised plans for Texas’ tallest high-rise

Cladding fire breaks out in 35-story Dubai apartment tower

Pininfarina unveils new green luxury tower design in Mérida, Mexico

First photos of Odile Decq's just-completed Barcelona debut

SHoP's 111 West 57th Street supertall tower is one important step closer to completion

Studio Gang's first Canadian project offers 45 stories of upscale living

North Korea breaks ground on the next phase of its 50,000-unit development plan

MAD Architects breaks ground on its ripped-open first North American residential rental project

Judge issues final ruling on challenge that would have cut down 200 Amsterdam

The EU's tallest residential building is finally complete after 15 years

Herzog & de Meuron reveals new images of its first-ever UK residential tower

Carlos Zapata Studio designs residential tower in Ecuador featuring a 3-story open-air communal area

IBI Group's gridded Axis Condos add honeycombed patterning to Toronto's skyline

Goettsch Partners designs undulating residential tower in Nashville

Images of Odile Decq's first residential building in Barcelona are unveiled

Musician-turned-designer Pharrell Williams moves into architecture with a two-tower project in Toronto

Thomas Heatherwick reveals EDEN, his newest residential project in Singapore

OMA completes first residential tower for Norra Tornen project in Stockholm

Construction starts for Zaha Hadid Architects' Bora Residential Tower in Mexico City

Pelli Clarke & Partners opens Mori JP Tower, Japan's new tallest building