Archinect - News

One of Helmut Jahn's final designs distinguishes itself on the Chicago skyline

2024-11-05T12:05:00-05:00

Critics are coming out in favor of a distinctive new residential apartment tower from Jahn after the building opened at the south end of Michigan Avenue in Chicago in June. The 1000M project is a new high-rise accommodation meant to anchor the historic thoroughfare with 73 total stories and 738 units.

Image credit: Tom Rossiter

Helmut Jahn is credited with leading its revised design from 2015 until his death in 2021, joined by a team that included Philip Castillo, Lynda Dossey, Peter Hayes, and Lucie Rigaldies.

Image credit: Tom Rossiter

Residents enjoy access to its ground-floor lobbies from both the street level and a stately porte-cochere located on the western axis. The manipulation of air rights for this project allowed the design's floor plates to gradually expand at the northeast or southeast corners from a rectangular base into a more softened parallelogram form.

Image credit: Tom Rossiter

A seven-level parking structure with 325 spaces services the building, which is draped...

OPEN Architecture's coastal cultural center Sun Tower opens in Yantai

2024-11-04T08:00:00-05:00

OPEN Architecture’s striking, cone-shaped cultural venue, Sun Tower, has officially opened in Yantai, China. Situated along the coast of the Yellow Sea, the structure encompasses an outdoor theater, exhibition spaces, library, café and bar, and a special semi-outdoor observation deck. Its design was informed by the passage of the sun.

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Sun Tower provides a much needed cultural hub for the growing population of Yantai's Yeda Development Zone. Established in 1984, the Zone transformed the area, which consisted mainly of fishing villages, into a district of industry and tourism.

Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

OPEN Architecture conceived the project’s design as a celebration of the area’s historical connection to the sun and sea. It is one of the earliest regions in China where ancient sun-worshiping occurred and where Ming Dynasty-era watchtowers were erected. The structure’s design also features a contemporary take on the typology of lighthouses.

Photo: Jonatha...

RCR Arquitectes debuts 'ultra-thin' Muraba Veil residential tower in Dubai

2024-10-24T17:05:00-04:00

A unique new residential skyscraper in Dubai from RCR Arquitectes will be built to the width of just a single 22.5 meter (almost 74 feet) apartment unit in what could come as a shock to even the most ardent fans of contemporary luxury high-rise design.

The fifth collaboration between the 2017 Pritzker Prize winner and developer Muraba, the Muraba Veil, was announced this month for a site overlooking the canal in the city of 3.6 million.

Its design is shaped also by endemic cultural and climate conditions, reaching a total height of 1,247 feet and 73 stories. The apartments are being offered between two and five bedrooms. Some unique features include a cavern-like indoor spa and oasis located in the crawl space underneath its datum.

Image: courtesy RCR Arquitectes//Muraba

The building’s 'super-thin' appearance is meant to evoke traditional Arabian domestic architecture, revealing itself from behind a series of 'veils' comprising stainless steel mesh that helps to dematerialize its sil...

Saudi Arabia's record-breaking Mukaab tower begins construction in Riyadh

2024-10-23T15:28:00-04:00

Preliminary construction work on the mind-boggling Mukaab tower scheme has been reported in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The cube-like structure, whose volume is equivalent to 64 million cubic meters (more than 2.2 billion cubic feet), is apparently large enough to contain 20 Empire State Buildings. It will become the centerpiece of a new downtown core for the city called ‘New Murabba’ once completed.

Image courtesy New Murabba

At its core, another tower-like structure anchors over 21.5 million square feet of floor space dedicated to shopping and inspired by traditional Islamic architecture. Montreal-based AtkinsRéalis has been named as the designer.

Promotional video for the Mukaab tower scheme. Via Public Investment Fund/YouTube

Its stated dimensions mean it would surpass the Boeing Everett Factory in Washington State to become the world's largest building upon completion. Construction is said to require some 900 workers on-site daily and will likely wrap up by the end of 2030.

...

KPF’s James von Klemperer on 520 Fifth Ave. and being a 'good neighbor'

2024-10-18T11:20:00-04:00

I think all tall buildings, especially, have a kind of responsibility that goes beyond the program and the site. Because once you emerge into the skyline in a significant way, which this building will, the skyline is almost viewed, I think, by us New Yorkers as public property. If you put up a terrible profile on the skyline, everybody has to look at it from uptown, downtown, Long Island, New Jersey. And it’s very subjective.

The firm's forthcoming 1,002-foot supertall, which we first previewed back in February, is ramping up construction towards completion in 2026. Its language of setbacks and arches is a nod to other towers shaped by the famous 1916 zoning envelope mandate that produced the Chrysler Building and many other quintessential designs through mid-century.

KPF is currently working on what will be the new tallest building in Texas for 2026 while the city prepares an 11-block Fifth Avenue pedestrian corridor redesign led by Field Operations.

Image credit: Binyan Studios

Image credit: DBOX

SOM breaks ground on new 53-story office project in Shenzhen

2024-10-16T15:11:00-04:00

Another important new project for Shenzhen—the SOM-designed CIMC Global Headquarters—just broke ground on its path to a 2029 completion. By that time, the 53-story, 886-foot tower will begin welcoming the first of its 60,000 anticipated daily users. Located in the Qianhai commercial district, the design targets both LEED and WELL Platinum certifications.

SOM (currently hiring for three project manager positions on Archinect Jobs) also recently broke ground on the $336 million new NJPAC redevelopment scheme with Weiss/Manfredi in Newark, New Jersey.

Image: Atchain © SOM

San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid Center reopens with a flourish following Foster + Partners makeover

2024-09-12T19:26:00-04:00

Today marks the grand reopening of the Transamerica Pyramid Center in San Francisco, California, following a $400 million redevelopment project from developer SHVO in partnership with Foster + Partners.

The 853-foot masterpiece William Pereira first bequeathed to the city in the summer of 1972 is now revitalized with modern-day amenities and a new lobby that once again matches his design’s original intentions while better integrating the building with civic life along the ground level.

Image: David Lipman

Outside the lobby, a revitalized Redwood Park with 49 replanted trees was enacted between Two Transamerica and Three Transamerica at Sansome Street to bind the site and program and serve as a new oasis-like destination in the heart of a busy pedestrian/commercial area.

Image: David Lipman

Another exterior component of the project entailed rejuvenating Mark Twain Alley, which is now a more vibrant civic space replete with plum blossom trees that ...

Goettsch Partners unveils renderings of Nashville's tallest tower

2024-08-26T13:31:00-04:00

Goettsch Partners has released renderings of what is expected to be the tallest tower in Nashville. Called Paramount, the residential building will be 750 feet tall upon completion, surpassing the city’s current tallest building, the 617-foot-tall AT&T Building.

Image © Goettsch Partners

The new tower will host 360 apartments, 140 condominiums, associated amenities, and a 517-space parking garage. The project also includes a 60,000-square-foot addition to the neighboring Downtown YMCA. Paramount is the third building along Church Street by GP and developer Giarratana LLC.

Image © Goettsch Partners

The tower’s form is defined by a series of faceted surfaces. According to the architects, various angles of the glass façade reflect light in multiple directions. They culminate in a “crown,” which comprises the top four floors.

Image © Goettsch Partners

The building site is currently being excavated, with construction set to begin later this year and completion anticipated in 2027.

Image © G...

Zaha Hadid Architects updates progress on Central Bank of Iraq Headquarters in Baghdad

2024-08-16T18:09:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has shared new construction photos of its Central Bank of Iraq Headquarters design in Baghdad. Sitting on a narrow site right by the Tigris River, the tower's exoskeleton rises from a podium and gradually widens upwards to reach a height of 560 feet.

The late Zaha Hadid is credited for the design (along with Patrik Schumacher), making this project a significant contribution to her city of birth.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zaha Hadid Architects (@zahahadidarchitects)

Chicago preservationists just saved two landmark early skyscrapers from the GSA wrecking ball

2024-08-05T20:13:00-04:00

The Chicago Tribune is reporting on the successful effort by Windy City preservationists to save the landmarked vacant Century and Consumers buildings, the “last vestiges of the Chicago School of Architecture” after two years of fighting. Their owners, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), have decided in favor of an adaptive reuse scheme that will save them from the wrecking ball, albeit with a list of 15 restrictions pertaining to any future redevelopment. These include limitations on residential development.

"We’re hoping the remaining $45 million of this demolition earmark could be invested in the terra cotta and the exterior cladding and roof structures, along with the windows," Preservation Chicago’s executive director Ward Miller told the outlet. "I think at a minimum, the GSA and federal government could help with restoring some of these features of the exterior that have languished for so long, almost 20 years, under their ownership."

The buildings were completed...

Brazilian city proposes world's tallest residential tower

2024-08-04T08:00:00-04:00

Planning officials in the coastal Brazilian city of Balneário Camboriú have just entered the race for the world’s tallest residential building after approving plans from an unnamed architect for the new 100-story, 1,785-foot Triumph Tower.

The project, which has yet to commence or set a completion date, would surpass Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill's 1,550-foot Central Park Tower in New York City to become the new world record holder. Another contending scheme, part of the Boardwalk at Bricktown development from Architects Orange in Oklahoma City, will determine its final reported height of 1,907 feet later once its leasing picture takes better shape. The 984-foot Gran Torre Constanera in Santiago, Chile, designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners, currently holds the record for South America's tallest building.

PEI adds rhythm to the Toronto skyline with new 2221 Yonge Street design

2024-07-30T20:39:00-04:00

The latest addition to Toronto’s skyline, PEI Architects’ 2221 Yonge Street tower, is now open after a 2022 completion. New images of the 56-story design reveal the presence of cantilevered wraparound balconies leading down to a six-story podium with a grand porte-cochère and sloped garden, a facade concept which PEI’s principal Li Chung (Sandi) Pei explains as a "unique design feature, rather than as appendages to a large glassy mass." Quadrangle Architects were included on the project team for the 435,000-square-foot high-rise that includes 566 total residential suites.

It will be joined nearby by Hariri Pontarini Architects' record-breaking Pinnacle One Yonge and the proposed 55 Yonge project from Quadrangle and PARTISANS.

Photo: Kerun Ip, courtesy of PEI Architects

Milwaukee developer proposes new record-setting mass timber tower

2024-07-28T08:00:00-04:00

Get ready for another record-breaker, Milwaukee. The city has reentered the race to build the world's tallest mass timber building with a proposal for a new, 50-story tower designed by Michael Green Architecture.

Details of the reportedly $700 million project include a mixed-use design with 750 residential units, 300 hotel rooms, and 190,000 square feet of office space. The 24-person Vancouver-based firm is seen as a leader in mass timber design.

The current record-holder, Ascent MKE tower by Korb + Associates, was on track to lose its title to the forthcoming C6 project from Elenberg Fraser in Perth, Australia, (which is also 50 stories) before the announcement of the new tower (dubbed "The Neutral Project") was made.

Handel's 58-story ATX Tower tops out in Austin

2024-07-22T18:39:00-04:00

The forthcoming ATX Tower project in Austin from Handel Architects in partnership with Page celebrated its topping-out ceremony last week. The mixed-use, 425,000-square-foot design includes 369 high-end apartments and over 100,000 square feet of workspaces in a distinctive 58-story silhouette that captures the scale and material character of its adjoining neighbors near Republic Square.

The building will open its doors to occupants by early February 2025. The interiors for ATX Tower were created by New York-based INC Architecture & Design.

Image courtesy Ryan Companies

It will be followed by another mixed-use project — HKS's (scaled-back) Wilson Tower — and the 74-story The Waterline high-rise from KPF, which is on track to becoming the state's tallest.

Both Austin's downtown residential and office real estate markets have experienced downturns in the last year-plus, posing a considerable threat to the formerly breakneck pace of development that has transpired with the continued inc...

Safdie Architects stacks vertical gardens in new Shanghai tower complex

2024-07-22T16:07:00-04:00

Safdie Architects has shared photos of their latest contribution to Shanghai's Luwan district, the new LuOne Mixed-Use Complex, after its construction was completed in the past year.

Featuring an eight-story bronze colonnade-lined retail component and a 35-story office tower, the project “answers the pressing need for connection to nature and a place of community within Shanghai’s urban core,” in the words of Senior Partner Christopher Mulvey.

Image: Shao Feng. Courtesy of Safdie Architects.

Accordingly, the tower’s southwestern edge includes a glass-enclosed “corner garden” running vertically with a series of seven four-story garden spaces stacked to create the appearance of plant life ascending or “climbing” the length of its facade.

Image: Shao Feng. Courtesy of Safdie Architects.

The 484,000-square-foot tower was designed to complete the program, which began with the construction of the 1.5 million-square-foot retail galleria in 2018...

Can the Chrysler Building still endure against imposing contemporary neighbors?

2024-07-18T20:05:00-04:00

Is the Chrysler Building’s reputation enough for it to endure as an icon, or is it at risk of fading away from the skyline, as newer, taller and glitzier glass buildings surround it?

William Van Alen’s iconic masterpiece of the Art Deco style (which topped out just six days before the stock market crash of 1929) is now facing financial uncertainties after its pre-pandemic sale for just $150 million to an Austrian developer and New York-based CRE firm. The recent bankruptcy of the former company, Signa, has prompted questions about its future.

The Times reports more than half (650,000 square feet) of its rentable spaces are now vacant. The building's plight resembles slightly that of the Flatiron Building, which was finally sold to a local residential developer late last year.

First renderings of KPF's major 8 Canada Square overhaul

2024-07-18T16:53:00-04:00

The plan from Kohn Pedersen Fox for a major redevelopment of the 42-story Norman Foster-designed 8 Canada Square tower in London (opened in 2003 and currently leased by HSBC) has gone public for the first time.

The project, which commences in 2027, is expected to be realized at 1.1 million square feet and showcase the most up-to-date workspaces along with a suite of amenities for workers, including leisure, entertainment, education, and cultural attractions.

Image copyright Kiasm, courtesy of KPF

KPF Design Principal Elie Gamburg said her team views this as an opportunity to “reimagine the single-use office building as a blueprint for the highly sustainable, mixed-use building of the future.” Plans are to have it serve as a connection between the nearby Elizabeth Line station and Canada Square Park. Some of the changes proposed (as noted below) are a complete retrofitting of the building envelope, plus the addition of two large setbacks and outdoor terraces leading to a rooftop vie...

Büro Ole Scheeren designs mixed-use Scenic City for Shenzhen's high-tech core

2024-07-10T17:15:00-04:00

Büro Ole Scheeren has shared images and project details of their underway mixed-used Scenic City design at the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base in China.

As the new HQ for e-commerce giant JD.com, the project will feature prominently in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District when it is completed by the end of 2027. Scenic City will be realized at two million square feet after construction began in early 2022.

Image: © Büro Ole Scheeren

Reaching a maximum height of 200 meters (656.1 feet), the program comprises two towers for offices, hotel, retail, public facilities, and cultural uses connected via a podium and adjacent landscaped "urban spine."

Image: © Büro Ole Scheeren

Each tower’s facade features both vertical and horizontal voided openings that allow for the inclusion of open-air terraces meant to accommodate the region’s humid climate. This breaks apart their volumes while suggesting a contemporary ziggurat climbing vertically from the podium base to the roofline. A subtler waterfall...

Oklahoma City approves 'unlimited height' request for North America's new tallest building

2024-06-04T17:59:00-04:00

Things are looking up (way up) this week for what may become North America’s new tallest building: Southern California-based firm AO announced in a social media post today that the Oklahoma City Council had approved the development team's request for unlimited building height for the proposed 1,907-foot-tall Legends Tower.

The ambitious 126-story scheme in downtown OKC is part of the Boardwalk at Bricktown development led by Matteson Capital. The group told media outlets in March that the $1.5 billion mixed-use project was fully funded.

AO's latest update also hinted at an intended groundbreaking "this Fall."

Pelli Clarke & Partners completes 57-story Salesforce Tower in Chicago

2024-05-30T17:53:00-04:00

Pelli Clarke & Partners has completed work on their new Salesforce Tower project at Chicago's Wolf Point mixed-use development. The 852-foot tower is the final piece of the 15-year puzzle that transforms a four-acre portion of waterfront between the Riverwalk and Merchandise Mart and boasts a total of 1.2 million square feet of offices for the technology giant and leading national law firm Kirkland & Ellis.

Photo by Jason O'Rear

"It has been a privilege to shape the transformation of Wolf Point and contribute to the design of Chicago’s iconic skyline for nearly 15 years," Partner Darin Cook said of their second commercial project for the Windy City. "We have long been inspired by Chicago’s rich architectural tradition and history of innovation. In creating Salesforce Tower, we designed a tower that reaches boldly skyward, is imbued with lightness, and takes a sculptural form."

Photo by Jason O'Rear

Featuring an internal floor plate configuration that enables a max...

Innovative mass timber Wangen Tower opens in southern Germany

2024-05-22T17:16:00-04:00

University of Stuttgart professor Achim Menges has shared details of a new research-led observation tower project called Wangen Tower after its realization earlier this month at the regional garden showcase Landesgartenschau Wangen im Allgäu in southern Germany.

The project is a collaboration between the university's Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the university.

Image: © ICD/ITKE/IntCDC University of Stuttgart (Photo: Nina Baisch)

Image: © Roland Halbe

Menges’ eight-member team worked with Prof. Dr. Jan Knippers and Gregor Neubauer to produce the prototype using CNC milling techniques and curved CLT panels. The result is a durable, high-performance structure made from locally sourced renewable materials as well as the first-ever built example of a multi-level building made using self-shaped structural timber components.

Image: © ICD/ITKE/IntCDC University of Stuttgart (Photo: Christoph Mo...

New interlocking tower blocks by Foster + Partners open in Dubai

2024-05-08T15:47:00-04:00

A pair of interlocking high-end residential and hotel towers designed by Foster + Partners recently held its official opening ceremony in Dubai.

Rising to 30 and 31 stories, respectively, The Lana and The Lana Residences demand their presence on the skyline of the Marasi Marina waterfront, located between downtown Dubai and the Dubai Design District.

Photo: Nigel Young / Foster + Partners

The concept behind the scheme is driven by seven vertical gardens throughout the development, which aim to act as social hubs for guests and residents. The architectural language will be echoed in the design of two more upcoming residential towers nearby, called VELA and VELA VIENTO, which we recently published on Archinect.

Photo: Ahmed Alnaji

"The idea behind the design was to create a building that responds to its surroundings with a unique sense of place derived from its interlocking gardens," said Gerard Evenden, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners. "The fluidity of spaces and the relationship t...

Thailand is in talks to build the world's tallest tower

2024-04-30T11:42:00-04:00

A group of investors led by a Dubai-based real estate developer is in talks to build a mixed-use tower in Thailand that may vie for the title of the world’s tallest building, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

Thailand's prime minister met with a group of Middle Eastern and Chinese companies to discuss the plan. Among the groups consulted was Emaar, developers of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the world's tallest tower.

Screenshot of the X/Tweet by PR Thai Government @prdthailand announcing the plan

As of 2024, the tallest building in Thailand is the Magnolias Waterfront Residences Iconsiam in Bangkok, measuring 70 stories and 1,043 feet tall. Meanwhile, it was reported last month by the UK's Architect's Journal that Foster + Partners was designing another scheme which would become the world's tallest building: a 1.2-mile-high skyscraper in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Plans for world’s tallest residential tower unveiled in Dubai

2024-04-27T08:00:00-04:00

Hospitality brand Six Senses has unveiled plans for a new residential tower in Dubai Marina, set to be the world’s tallest. Sprouting up in Dubai Marina, the Six Senses Residences will be the second Dubai location to come from Six Senses, joining the nearly-opened Six Senses The Palm Jumeirah hotel. The tower is said to boast an impressive 122 floors, when it is eventually completed in 2028.

The height of the new Six Senses Residences Dubai Marina tower is equal to the under-construction Burj Azizi tower nearby, a $1.5 billion commercial project that was announced to have broken ground in January and will be completed the same year.

Image credit: Select Group

They will become two of the world’s six 120+ story structures. Reported amenities include a 109th-floor lap pool and cryotherapy chambers, crystal sound healing room, movie theater, and spa.

Image credit: Select Group

Despite the size, only 251 high-end residences are included. The current record-holder for tallest residential building, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture's Central Park Tower in New York City, has 179 units over 131 floors.

Image credit: Select Group

WSP Middle East and Woods Bagot are reportedly in charge of the architectural design.

Foster + Partners updates design for 350 Park Avenue supertall in Manhattan

2024-04-22T17:23:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has updated its plans for the new 62-story supertall at 350 Park Avenue after receiving approvals from planning officials to deliver what will be their fifth recent high-rise design in Midtown Manhattan after 425 Park Avenue, 50 Hudson Yards, the forthcoming PENN 15 tower, and the recently topped out JPMorgan Chase headquarters at 270 Park Avenue.

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

The renderings unveiled via a press release from New York Mayor Eric Adams's media team last week appear to show significant changes to the architectural design, which now features a more imposing series of stepped volumes minus much of the biophilic program of outdoor terraces and voided crown that were included in its original announcement over a year ago.

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

The firm is working for client Citadel. A 12,500-square-foot public concourse is included, along with 1.8 million square feet of office space. The press release states that the completion date for this p...

Foster + Partners tops out Shenzhen skyscraper inspired by rock formations and paper folding

2024-04-15T13:50:00-04:00

The Foster + Partners-designed China Merchants Bank Headquarters in Shenzhen has topped out. The office tower forms part of a wider mixed-use development, which, when completed, will form a “new city quarter” in Shenzhen.

Image credit: zhangchao via Foster + Partners

Externally, the tower is clad in glass and stainless steel, the result of an “iterative modeling process to minimize the energy consumption of active systems by carefully balancing solar shading, daylight and thermal loads,” according to the team. The tower’s north facade is inspired by rock formations in China with stacked bays varying in height, while the south-facing facade is inspired by the geometries of traditional paper folding.

Image credit: zhangchao via Foster + Partners

“The new tower is a unique addition to Shenzhen’s urban fabric and will be an enduring symbol of China Merchants Bank,” Foster + Partners Head of Studio Grant Brooker said about the scheme. “The building’s wide curved windows offer spectacular v...

In Oklahoma City, plans for North America’s new tallest building move toward approval

2024-04-13T10:00:00-04:00

The Oklahoma City Planning Commission voted yesterday, April 12th, to recommend its city council's approval of the proposed 1,907-foot-high tower design from AO (fmr. Architects Orange) that would become North America's tallest building when realized.

Plans are still contingent on the success of the proposed first two towers' leasing agreements, as we reported in January. AO, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary, is working for a local Orange County-based developer named Scot Matteson to realize the design after increasing its initial proposal for a 1,750-foot design that would have been America’s second-tallest building. The so-called Legends Tower would be built at a total of 126 stories and include 944 luxury residences plus another 99 condominiums and 352 rooms reserved for the Hyatt Hotel chain.

Just 48 of the tower's apartments will be considered affordable (all of which are to be located in the podium). The proposed LED signage is the only part of the proposal that was...

Tribune Tower voted Chicago’s best building in 2024

2024-04-11T12:53:00-04:00

Chicago’s Tribune Tower has been voted the best building in the city by readers of Urbanize Chicago. Thousands of votes were cast in the Urbanize Chicago People’s Choice Best Building 2024, with the Tribune Tower seeing off competition from the second-place Wrigley Building.

Designed by Howells and Hood and completed in 1925, the iconic Gothic Revival building was the result of an international design competition held by the Chicago Tribune newspaper. The winning design drew inspiration from the medieval Gothic cathedrals of Europe, reinterpreting their features for a modern skyscraper.

The tower rises to a height of 462 feet, culminating in a series of flying buttresses that crown its top. The building's façade is adorned with sculptural details and stone carvings that evoke the craftsmanship of Gothic architecture.

Related on Archinect: 16 designers to display new "Tribune Tower" models at the 2nd Chicago Architecture Biennial. Image: Wikipedia

A notable feature of the tower is it...

Safdie Architects will expand Marina Bay Sands for 2029

2024-04-08T13:02:00-04:00

Safdie Architects has announced plans for a programmatic expansion of their previous Marina Bay Sands design in Singapore.

The scheme calls for the addition of a new luxury hotel tower with a sky roof, a 15,000-seat entertainment venue, and further spaces reserved for work, retail, and dining.

The project is being undertaken to provide a boost to Singapore’s tourism sector, which is considered lagging behind other destinations in the Asia-Pacific region in spite of strong post-pandemic numbers. (The resort has drawn more than 470 million visitors since its opening, according to a press release from its Las Vegas-based management group.)

Rendering of the new entertainment arena. Image courtesy Marina Bay Sands

"The all-suite hotel tower will set new standards of hospitality, the state-of-the-art arena will help attract the highest-caliber global entertainment events and artists, and the additional convention and exhibition space will extend the success of Singapore as a leading MICE d...

Büro Ole Scheeren realizes The Axiom high-rise design in Shanghai

2024-04-02T15:37:00-04:00

Büro Ole Scheeren has announced the completion of their latest high-rise design in Shanghai, called The Axiom. The 918-foot, 49-story tower is the first of two that will eventually form the heart of a mixed-use corporate campus known as The Springs on a central site in the Yangpu district for developer Tishman Speyer.

The design is punctuated midway by a striking offset structural core, which, according to the firm, is unique to just 3% of the 500 tallest buildings in the world.

Founder Ole Scheeren describes: “The Axiom is an emblem of the innovation that is now synonymous with Shanghai and forms an elegant urban landmark as the gateway to Yangpu District. Designed as a strategic hybrid of functionalism and iconicity, the twin towers represent the fluidity and dynamism of the future-oriented businesses they will accommodate.”

Rising from a shared podium base called the Culture Gate that connects to the surrounding development’s ...