Archinect - News

Google updates Thompson Center renderings before first full year of construction

2024-11-06T17:56:00-05:00

The renovation of Helmut Jahn’s fought-over Thompson Center building in Chicago for Google has provided an updated pair of renderings for the $280 million project. The update follows last December’s release of the initial images for the reimagining. Google is pledging to deliver a LEED Platinum-certified project in line with the late architect's post-modernist vision. Initial demolition work began in May and will advance over the next year towards completion in the year 2026.

Image courtesy Google and Pixelflakes

Herzog & de Meuron updates Sixth&Blanco mass timber project in Austin

2023-11-16T19:00:00-05:00

Herzog & de Meuron has updated its plans for the forthcoming Sixth&Blanco mixed-use development in Austin, Texas.

The mass timber design will be realized as the firm’s first-ever completed work in Texas. The plan calls for a full city block construction with a hotel, office spaces, a residential component, and retail.

Image: © Herzog & de Meuron

Updated renderings provided by the firm a year removed from the project’s initial announcement show a more concise linear volume with added greenery and recesses minus many original facade elements in whose place a new open-air terrace has been created on the structure’s third level.

Image: © Herzog & de Meuron

New colorful reflective awnings were added at the drop-off point for shoppers and hotel guests. A total of 50,000 square feet of retail space is planned, along with ten apartment units totaling 4,600 square feet and located on the two uppermost floors. The design is organized around a central courtyard and sa...

The City of London skyline is expected to add these eleven towers by 2030

2023-11-01T18:58:00-04:00

The City of London Corporation has revealed new images depicting the 2030 skyline of the Square Mile ahead of the completion of a planned cluster of tall buildings that are expected by the end of the decade.

The plans depicted include the 11-building ‘City Cluster’, which strategically closes an existing gap between Rafael Viñoly’s 20 Fenchurch Street (aka the “Walkie-Talkie" tower) and adjacent plots in the body's local plan. Other key areas of change included in the City Plan 2040 call for the construction of new pedestrian routes and public green space, added ground-level accommodations for retail, and a mix of education and cultural spaces.

“These new CGI images clearly illustrate the ever-changing nature of London's incredible skyline. It demonstrates that the City office is here to stay, and that the Square Mile's real estate sector is robust and thriving, despite wider economic concerns,” Chair of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, S...

Tennessee Titans reveal renderings for proposed new stadium design in Nashville

2022-10-26T15:45:00-04:00

The Tennessee Titans NFL franchise has shared renderings for its proposed new 60,000-seat stadium in Nashville from Manica Architecture.

The 1.7-million-square-foot design will feature a dome enclosure with a network of exterior public terrace “porches,” inspired by the city, that will “serve Nashville and Tennessee for generations,” according to Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill.

Per a team press announcement: “The stadium architecture is inspired by the city of Nashville and is planned to be complementary to the broader East Bank development plan led by the City. The design gave specific attention to multi-purpose function, in order to maximize the number and types of events that could take place in the building.”

Rendering courtesy Manica Architecture

Key design elements will reportedly include:

A circular-shaped, high-tech ETFE translucent roof
12,000-square-foot dedicated community and public events space
Improved sight lines for all spectators through diverse viewing experien...

New image renders of DC's Union Station redevelopment paint a picture for this $10 billion project

2022-06-16T14:57:00-04:00

A general picture of the proposed $10 billion overhaul of Washington, D.C. Union Station is bit clearer this week after the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts released renderings of a revised plan from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Earlier in May, the FRA scrapped parts of that plan that included a six-story car park and alternate reconfiguration of the station’s aging bus terminal. That agency has now formally resubmitted its amended proposal, which still calls to add a variety of new features to the historic 115-year-old station, for the Commission's approval. As reported by The Washington Post, the revisions are expected to add to the project's total cost.

Image courtesy Federal Railroad Administration via U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

Amongst the more significant changes, the planned car park has been moved underground, freeing up public areas around the station’s train hall and Columbus Circle-a...

ODA unveils renderings of two massive, mixed-use towers in Fort Lauderdale

2022-05-24T17:08:00-04:00

New York-based architecture and design firm ODA-Architecture has released renderings of its Ombelle project, a pair of mixed-use towers in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Developer Dependable Equities tapped ODA to design the architecture, interiors, and landscape for the 1.5-million-square-foot structure.

Image courtesy ODA

The development, which comprises two mirrored 43-story towers, will offer 1,100 rental units, 11,217 square feet of retail space, and 27,837 square feet of indoor amenities. Ombelle is proposed to rise at 300 Northeast 3rd Avenue in the city’s growing Flagler Village neighborhood.

Image courtesy ODA

The two defining, sculpted towers rise from a 9-story podium, which is supported by a double-height colonnade. According to the architects, this reinforces a visual connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces and is aimed to foster public activity. The ground level is designed to house a mix of retail and restaurants, with open-air seating.

Image court...

Renderings of the Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity in Orlando unveiled

2022-04-14T17:18:00-04:00

The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida (HMREC) has just revealed architectural renderings for the new Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity in downtown Orlando, Florida. It aims to be the world’s first Holocaust museum designed around survivor and witness testimonies.

The USC Shoah Foundation will serve as a content and creative partner in the development of the new museum. This is the first time the Foundation has teamed with a Holocaust Museum to design and implement a ground-up and permanent museum-wide exhibition.

Recently featured on Archinect: 'Everyone Talks About Silver Linings, It's Hard to Talk About Opportunities': A Conversation with Elizabeth Leber, Managing Partner at Beyer Blinder Belle

The museum will occupy a lakefront site and span 43,000 square feet. It has an estimated construction budget of $45 million, with its design led by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners (BBB). The firm will collaborate with museum experts Ralph Appelbaum ...

Selldorf Architects reveals first round of designs for National Gallery's Sainsbury Wing redevelopment

2022-02-18T17:38:00-05:00

An important update has been issued to one of the most-watched cultural projects in the UK this afternoon after Selldorf Architects released their initial plans for the redesigned Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery of Art in London.

The firm was tapped in July to lead a multidisciplinary design team that includes Purcell, Vogt Landscape, and Arup.

A proposed loop connection of the Sainsbury Wing. Image courtesy Selldorf Architects.

As part of a public consultation phase that was unveiled today, the firm put forth its NG200 proposal for the overhauled award-winning Venturi, Scott Brown building, which is meant to increase accessibility in advance of the museum’s upcoming bicentenary celebration.

The initial batch of renderings appears to show a more opened-up foyer that welcomes visitors from a revamped entrance and newly-created public realm leading into Trafalgar Square. Improved lighting and wayfinding are to be emphasized throughout, including a new walking path meant to conn...

New renderings leak of Foster + Partners' upgraded redesign for 2 World Trade Center

2022-02-16T19:12:00-05:00

A revised version of one of the world’s most high-profile architectural projects by Foster + Partners is now being circulated online as new renderings have surfaced that depict the firm’s upgraded Two World Trade Center design.

The London-based firm was added back onto the development team in January 2020 after developers Silverstein Properties officially nixed a concept from Bjarke Ingels Group that had been on the docket since replacing Foster's original design in 2015. Since then, Silverstein has been in pursuit of the anchor tenants necessary to provide the confidence to commit to the entirely-private development.

Rendering by Visualhouse

The final piece of the renewed 16-acre World Trade Center site will now stand some 1,350 feet above the Oculus and 9/11 Memorial site and quartet of other office towers designed David Childs, Richard Rogers, Fumihiko Maki, and Kohn Pedersen Fox, respectively. The foundation of the building has already been completed, givi...

A new report suggests the architectural software market is about to go boom

2021-12-28T19:41:00-05:00

The Global Architectural Rendering Software Market is expected to grow by $971.89mn during 2021-2025, decelerating at a CAGR of 23.53% during the forecast period.

The new study points to an increase in urbanization and disposable income as primary factors for the anticipated growth of the global architectural rendering software market.

An October report from Dodge Data & Analytics, in partnership with design software giant Autodesk, suggested a link between the use of BIM technology and overall client satisfaction, with the added bonus of reduced errors (and attendant risk reduction), enhanced performance factors, higher design quality, and improved win rates for architects and contractors both.

The overall quality of BIM has been steadily improving since first being introduced to the market in the early 1980s. Recently the technology has been integrated into areas like resilient design and metaverse construction, which offers a great deal of potential to younger designers looking to make their highly-valuable skills remunerate in an otherwise top-down economic environment.

ODA reveals designs for a dynamic new multi-volume tower in Fort Lauderdale

2021-12-23T13:48:00-05:00

Renderings have been revealed for a head-turning tower that offers itself as a “new gateway” to one of South Florida’s fastest-growing communities.

ODA-Architecture is behind the newly-released plan for a massive 1.8-million-square-foot mixed-use development in Fort Lauderdale that would help enhance the city’s skyline with a dynamic 48-story tower defined by a dramatic open void.

Image courtesy ODA Architecture

The double-volume design is joined by a skybridge to create a split massing with 38 stories of penthouse offerings and 938 other private residential units atop a 10-story podium.

Image courtesy ODA Architecture

Situated in the Sailboat Bend neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, the 300 West Broward development offers views of surrounding public parks and cultural attractions as well as 24,000 square feet of ground-level retail space accessible to the public via a tapered entrance placed in the building’s southwest corner.

Image courtesy ODA Architecture

The plan includes caban...

Destination Crenshaw reveals new renderings as LA grants approval for its arts program

2021-10-15T18:52:00-04:00

New renderings have been unveiled following the city’s Cultural Affairs Commission approval of the recently announced first slate of sculptural installations set to line the forthcoming Destination Crenshaw development in Los Angeles.

The $100 million community redevelopment scheme features a streetscape designed by Perkins&Will’s local office in addition to several green community meetings spaces from Studio-MLA.

Overhead view of Destination Crenshaw’s Sankofa Park featuring designs for works by Maren Hassinger, Kehinde Wiley, and Charles Dickson. Rendering by Perkins&Will, courtesy of Destination Crenshaw.

Overhead images reveal the Sankofa Park section of the corridor dotted with artworks by Kehinde Wiley, Maren Hassinger, Artis Lane, and Charles Dickson. The park lies along 46th Street on the northernmost bookend of the 1.3-mile-long site. Its elongated avian shape is derived from the eponymous sankofa bird, a traditional African symbol representing movement that Dickson captures...

Architect Kenneth Gruskin envisions new business opportunity for designers as the world becomes increasingly virtual

2021-07-13T17:07:00-04:00

Kenneth Gruskin, owner and principal of architecture and marketing firm Gruskin Group, has envisioned a new avenue for firms as businesses increasingly shift to virtual spaces.

With remote work the new normal, Gruskin sees an opportunity for architects to play a role in how new virtual environments and overall representation of companies are designed and communicated. Specifically, his idea entails the personalization of video conferencing calls with customized, animated backgrounds.

“And, along with everything else, it’s a way for us to stay involved with companies that are shedding their physical footprint,” Gruskin said to ROI-NJ. “It’s just a good way to stay in touch with clients … that might not be the big Facebook and Amazon companies that are still buying up real estate.”

The demand for companies to embrace these prefabricated backgrounds is to maintain professionalism and communicate a brand identity during virtual meetings, which is difficult to coordinate and fully expre...

Are you a BIM or architectural visualization specialist? Check out these firms currently hiring on Archinect Jobs!

2020-03-19T11:06:00-04:00

While many may be concerned and overwhelmed with the current state and future of architectural employment, let Archinect help keep you informed, prepared, and inspired during the upcoming months. Digital collaboration is nothing new to the architecture world. However, in light of recent events, remote working and digital collaboration are at an all-time high.

BIM and architectural visualization have grown to become an integral part of architecture offices. We've selected 10 firms who are currently searching for the right candidate candidates that exhibit BIM, Revit, and digital design skills to join their team.

Image courtesy of JTM Construction

JTM Construction seeks a VDC Coordinator
The VDC (Virtual Design and Construction) Coordinator plays a critical role from pre-construction, construction and through the post-occupancy process. There are many stake holders who play an important role in the successful execution of construction projects and the VDC Coordinator is a conduit betw...

Architect shares wonderfully Photoshopped Thomas Kinkade and Modernism mashups on Twitter

2018-08-22T13:40:00-04:00

Architect twitter account @robyniko known as 'the "schtick" haver' has started a thread where worlds collide locating iconic modernist architecture in Thomas Kinkade landscapes. Whether or not this should have ever been done is up for debate. These mashups may just be so terrible you can't look away...

Charles and Ray Eames' Case Study Cabin:

Philip Johnson's Glass Cottage:

Check out the whole thread for more blasphemous thrills:

What past designs for outer space can teach us about the future

2018-08-20T14:45:00-04:00

A drawing in [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's] 1883 manuscript Free Space might be the first depiction of humans in orbital weightlessness. Four figures float in a spherical spaceship, each pointed in a different direction, disoriented... This basic design — primary thruster, secondary retro rockets, axial gyros for orientation — has been used by all crewed Russian and American spacecraft to date, including the International Space Station.

Looking back at the history of outer space design, Fred Scharmen brings past innovations into the present with applications for our future. Starting back in 1883 with the first design for humans in outer space (seen below), Konstantin Tsiolkovsky imagined a new way of thinking about spatial design.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Free Space, 1883. Image: Russian Academy of Sciences.

Scharmen follows this path of design up through 1975 with Princeton physicist Gerard O’Neill's project, funded by NASA, to develop habitats for civilization in space. A team of engineers, space scientists, physicists, artists, urban planners, and architects were assembled to create isolated and controlled interiors for humans to live in.

Bernal Sphere, 1975. Image: Rick Guidice/NASA Ames Research Center.

Habitats like the Bernal Sphere were created as exercises in imagining completely new systems of design. Scharmen advocates that these outer space design exercises are the key to innovation for design both on and...

What would The Louvre look like if it was Brutalist?

2018-05-01T15:23:00-04:00

These 7 iconic buildings have been reconstructed in different architectural styles, such as The Louvre in Brutalist style pictured above. The effect is jarring to say the least...

Buckingham Palace in Bauhaus style:

Falling Water House in Classical style:

Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói in Sustainable style:

CN Tower in Ancient Egyptian style:

Petronas Towers in Gothic style:

Sydney Opera House in Tudor style:

These reworked renderings were designed by NeoMam Studios for Expedia Canada.

Into the Uncanny Valley

2018-04-24T15:17:00-04:00

Architectural representations often embody the tension between familiar and unfamiliar. In an effective rendering, the new buildings or landscapes share the same illusionistic space with images of existing buildings or landscapes, producing an almost exquisite confusion between real and unreal.

Architectural renderings are not photographs; or are they? Susan Piedmont-Palladino examines the hyper-real imagined worlds of contemporary architectural drawings through theories of the uncanny, and considers the disconcerting effect that occurs when "we can't quite sort out the relationship of an image to the world."

William Kaven unveil full proposal for Portland's Broadway Corridor

2018-02-15T13:42:00-05:00

William Kaven Architecture have just released additional renderings of the firm's redevelopment proposal for Portland's Broadway Corridor, giving a more complete picture of their broader scheme.

In addition to the initial release of Portland's tallest towers last November, the firm has now fleshed out what the rest of the 5 million square foot development will entail.

Portland Broadway Corridor conceptual plan by William Kaven Architecture. Image: William Kaven Architecture.

Their concept of reconnecting Union Station to the Pearl District involves removing the Broadway ramp and creating a pedestrian-centric district organized around an extension of the North Park Blocks.

The firm also plans major shifts to public transportation, integrating a central hub for a high-speed rail and underground mass public transit next to Amtrack's Union Station.

Portland Broadway Corridor conceptual plan by William Kaven Architecture. Image: William Kaven Architecture.

This pedestrian friendly pla...

New images of Jean Nouvel's posh, MoMA-integrated luxury condo tower 53W53

2017-09-12T19:04:00-04:00

As the brand-new rendering above shows, the luxury condo tower designed by Jean Nouvel will boast an unusual amenity: floors 2, 4 and 5 of 53W53 will serve as new gallery levels for the Museum of Modern Art when construction is completed. Additionally, according to a fact sheet, "benefactor W53 MoMA membership runs with each residence, and includes curated benefits and the potential for the building to host private events in the museum's sculpture garden." The tower, which is slated to top out at 1,050 feet, will be home to 145 residences ranging in size from one to five bedrooms, with a few private-elevator-accessible penthouse suites.

Images above and below: Hayes Davidson

No two condos will have the same layout, thanks to the combination of Jean Nouvel's self-described "diagrid," which refers to the tower's pronounced exterior structural system, and the tapering design itself, which precludes repetitive formats. The interiors of each condo are being designed by Thierry Despont, a...

New renderings released of the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

2017-07-03T12:10:00-04:00

It’s full speed ahead for the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the $1B museum sited in Exposition Park in Los Angeles and designed by Ma Yansong. Rising four stories, the 115-ft. tall building will house some 300,00 square feet of floor area containing exhibition space, a library, two theaters, classrooms, offices and a library. New renderings have been released. Take a gander below.

Image credit the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, via NBC

A surprisingly classical look for Google's London HQ from Heatherwick Studio + BIG

2017-06-01T20:14:00-04:00

Back in 2015, the 11-storey, AHMN-designed scheme for Google's headquarters was deemed "too boring" by Google CEO Larry Page. Heatherwick Studio and BIG were brought in to add some pizazz to what was an admittedly fairly straightforward, boxy design. Today's freshly unveiled renderings show a more visually nuanced building than their predecessor, but the structure does not push design boundaries in the overt way that many associate with BIG and Heatherwick.

Indeed, the abundance of bordered, angled bay windows creates the effect of a colonnade; viewed from the exterior, the building resembles a kind of Parthenon mash-up. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a roof garden quickly place the building in its modern context, but this is a building that takes pains to join a conversation, not start one.

Thomas Heatherwick explained in a statement that "The area is a fascinating collision of diverse building types and spaces and I can't help but love this mix of massive railway stations, roads...

Raw Rendering Ranters: Zumthor's 'undercooked' LACMA redesign on Archinect Sessions #76

2016-08-11T14:13:00-04:00

Peter Zumthor released new renderings for his LACMA redesign last week, and boy are people not impressed! We talk about the "undercooked" look of Zumthor's snaking concrete inkblot plan for the museum, and experiment with a new segment devoted to ranting on the podcast. You've been warned.

Listen to episode 76 of Archinect Sessions, "Raw Rendering Ranters":

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This week’s podcast is sponsored by AIA Advantage Partner, BQE Software, and the makers of ArchiOffice. ArchiOffice is the only Office and Project Management Software built with the needs of architects in mind. It will help you manage people and projects, while you focus on designing great architecture....

A closer look at "the eye" in MVRDV's Tianjin Library

2016-06-22T14:29:00-04:00

While pronounced ocular structural features are not unheard of (consider the exterior of DS+R's Broad Museum) Winy Maas, co-founder of MVRDV, is drawing attention to his firm's mirrored spherical auditorium sited in the almost complete 34,200 square meter Tianjin Library.

“The Eye is the centre of the library," Maas explained in a press release. "It ‘hollows out’ the building and creates, out of bookshelves, an environment to sit, to read, to hang out, to climb and to access, to create an organic social space. In its heart is the auditorium which mirrors the environment, giving a 360 degree panorama of the space inside; a truly reflective and pensive environment.”

The library will likely open to the public by mid-2017.

What else is MVRDV up to?

"A blueprint can give you an idea, but this cements it for you.” – VR's promising future in architectural communications

2016-01-25T18:00:00-05:00

LHB has become one of the nation’s first design firms to incorporate virtual reality, or VR, across the sweep of its in-house teams [...] “With VR, you can inhabit the space in full scale...You get a far more physical sense of what that space is going to be.” [...] Virtual reality also has potential to be “the great equalizer,” LHB’s Fischer noted. A middle-school maintenance worker can put on a VR headset and notice design flaws that might go unnoticed by project managers.

Celebrate diversity! A Resource for your rendering needs

2015-09-23T01:57:00-04:00

Kaleidoscope challenges the dominance of gendernormativity, ableism and race-blindness in architectural drawings by diversifying the population of represented peoples in renderings. Choosing to include underrepresented people in drawings not only reflects reality, but also actively imagines a more just, inclusive, and pluralistic society.

h/t @Justin Garrett Moore

Frank Gehry's renderings for L.A.'s Sunset Strip revealed

2015-08-26T15:00:00-04:00

Initial renderings of the $300 million development depict a cluster of five architecturally distinct buildings distributed across the 2.6- acre site around a central plaza. In total, the project will comprise 333,600 square feet, and have 249 residential units. One of the architects’ primary goals was to make the site as approachable as possible to invite the surrounding community in to shop, dine, or simply relax in the plaza.

Renderings and model photos were released today of Frank Gehry's proposed design for the 8150 Sunset Boulevard project. Positioned at the so-called Gateway to the Sunset Strip at the curving intersection of Crescent Heights Boulevard, Havenhurst Drive and Sunset Boulevard, Gehry's mixed-use, three-story retail center and 11-story residential tower (which is expected to achieve LEED silver status) emphasizes pedestrian access and preserving Sunset's relatively low streetscape:

Gehry reportedly said of the project, “[Residents and future visitors] should feel that they are part of L.A., a part of L.A. that has a culture that comes with it.”

Photorealistic cityscapes drawn in pencil only

2015-07-28T14:53:00-04:00

Paul Cadden’s work is astoundingly realistic.

If you think straining over Photoshop for hours on end sweating out the nuances of that latest rendering of a project is time-consuming, Paul Cadden voluntarily spends his time drawing photo-realistic versions of photographs with pencil. Only pencil. According to the artist's website, "Although the drawings and paintings I make are based upon photographs, videos stills etc., the idea is to go beyond the photograph. The photo is used to create a subtler and much more complex focus on the subject depicted. The virtual image becomes the living image, an intensification of the normal. These objects and scenes in my drawings are meticulously detailed to create the illusion of a new reality not seen in in the original photo." The results, which frequently incorporate cityscapes, are worth a look:

First glimpse at Diller Scofidio + Renfro's prelim designs for U.S. Olympic Museum in Colorado

2015-05-15T15:41:00-04:00

Whatever your feelings are toward the Olympic Games, plans for the upcoming U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum and Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs are pushing forward so far. For starters, the Museum unveiled Diller Scofidio + Renfro's initial design concepts for the 60,000 sq.ft building, set to be built in the Southwest Urban Renewal District of Downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. DS + R is part of the team who won the commission in a competition last fall.

DS + R's design includes 20,000 sq. feet of exhibition space showing off artifacts, media, sports science technology and interactive exhibits that depict the history of the Games and the stories behind famous American Olympic and Paralympic athletes. And of course, the museum will include a theater, gift shop, cafe, and a broadcast studio.

"Inspired by the movement of athletes, the [museum] spirals up and outwards from a central atrium, drawing the public in at its base and propelling them up through the galleries,' Elizabeth D...

Wide Lens: Scott Frances talks post-production and retouching

2014-03-17T13:24:00-04:00

For this month's Wide Lens, a column that investigates the relationship between architect and photographer, Photography & Architecture editor Julie Grahame shares some insight from her interview with architectural photographer, Scott Frances.

Julie Grahame:

Post Production and Retouching of Architectural Imagery

Master architectural photographer Scott Frances has been in the industry for more than 25 years. He assisted Ezra Stoller in the 1980s, and was introduced by him to Richard Meier in 1988. Meier recalls the meeting in his preface to Frances' book, "MonoVisioN," saying "From my first encounter with Scott I was able to sense a particularly sensitive response to experiencing architecture in his work, and we started a good relationship that extends from the Grotta Residence all the way to my most recent residential project in Brooklyn, New York."

Frances is also a partner in New York's high-end House Tribeca photo retouching house. Who better, then, to give us some thoughts on post-p...