Archinect - News

New European Bauhaus Academy launches skills training network

2024-04-30T14:59:00-04:00

The New European Bauhaus Academy has launched a learning initiative called NEBA Alliance, a network of skills training hubs across the European Union meant to accelerate “up- and re-skilling” activities for workers in the AEC fields and adjacent professional industries. The news was shared via a press release earlier this month that included statements from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who announced the formation of the NEB Academy in November 2022.

Fourteen partners from industry and higher education have signed up to support the effort, which is meant to enable the 160,000 new jobs that are being added to the building sector as part of an inbound "Renovation Wave" in Europe.

"Setting up a central portal and database of certified training materials, courses, and modules, along with a selection of best practices in pedagogies, it will enable widespread scaling of training on bio-based materials in sustainable construction," the announcement states. "The curat...

EU member states agree to major building emissions cuts at COP28

2023-12-12T18:21:00-05:00

If approved in its current form, the deal struck on Thursday night will also force member states to put solar panels on more buildings, starting with new public buildings and offices and expanding to include new homes by 2030. [...] It is a compromise on the European Commission’s original proposals to renovate the leakiest homes, which member states had fought fiercely.

The EU’s pledge mandates that all new buildings will have zero emissions from fossil fuels in that timeframe, with heating systems derived from fossil fuels phased out by 2040. The expansion of heat pump subsidies will be a decisive factor, along with the mandatory installation of solar panels on everything except heritage architecture, churches, and agricultural buildings by the decade’s end. Also at the conference, six other member states joined the U.S., Canada, and UK in pledging their commitments to the UNEP Buildings Breakthrough challenge that will further reduce emissions by 2030. Signatories will also have until 2035 to cut emissions in residential structures by at least 20%.

Still, the Climate Action Network’s Eva Brardinelli, told the Guardian: “The final agreement on the directive missed a significant opportunity to lift millions out of energy poverty and cut our dependence on fossil fuels.”

The changes are likely to be formally adopted via the European Parliament in th...

Hyperloop companies form international consortium

2023-02-14T19:11:00-05:00

A consortium of seven international hyperloop companies has formed a new entity called the Hyperloop Association, the group recently announced. The organization was begun in December and expects a royal decree to follow shortly announcing it as a legal entity.

The Association says it will be based in Brussels in order to work with European Union commissioners and the EU's Agency for Railways to "advance the progress and facilitate the widespread implementation of the innovative transportation system across Europe and globally."

The news comes after years of collaborations between various participating hyperloop companies and architecture firms on infrastructure and transportation design.

BIG, for example, designed the XP-2 pods as well as passenger portals for Hyperloop One. Zaha Hadid Architects worked with Hyperloop Italia to develop station designs and strategies for urban and rural impleme...

Foster + Partners completes EU's tallest building in Warsaw, Poland

2022-10-26T09:00:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has completed work on Varso Tower in Warsaw, Poland. At 310 meters (1,017 feet) tall, the scheme overtakes Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Tower (also designed by Foster + Partners) to become the tallest building in the European Union.

The new tower is also nearly 400 feet taller than the Intempo skyscraper in Benidorm, Spain, which became the tallest residential building in the European Union following its completion last year.

Image courtesy of Foster + Partners

At ground level, the project includes a plaza enclosed within a glazed screen. Described by the designers as an ‘urban room,’ the plaza contains full-height trees and seating for office workers on breaks and the public.

Image courtesy of Foster + Partners

Inside, the tower’s lobby features a 33-foot-high ceramic artwork by local artist Krystyna Kaszuba-Waclawek. Above, office floors are accessed by two banks of double-deck elevators where each c...

Italy launches unprecedented anti-seismic plan to protect churches under threat from earthquakes

2022-03-30T14:51:00-04:00

Cathedrals, churches and basilicas across Italy are at risk of being razed by earthquakes that could strike at any moment. But the government is on a mission to protect some of the country’s most significant and vulnerable religious buildings from disastrous seismic shocks. A new national project backed with €250m from Italy’s multibillion-euro pot of EU Covid-19 recovery funding is unprecedented in Europe for its scale and reach, officials believe.

In one of Europe’s most earthquake-prone countries, the anti-seismic plan will allow the Italian culture ministry’s heritage safety department to distribute resources around the country that will mitigate the impact of future disasters. Straps and chains will be wrapped around bell towers and shock-absorbing blocks will be fixed to foundations. Project grants will be assigned to around 250 of the 840 structures owned by Italy’s Religious Buildings Fund. The ministry will assess buildings based on their historical value, importance for local communities, and vulnerability to damage.

This initiative is backed by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, a €191.5 billion ($213.7 billion) investment package from the EU focused on addressing judicial, administrative, and energy reform. Funds are being channeled into “macro-projects” aimed at preserving and rejuvenating Italy’s cultural sector....

EU seeks to become world’s first carbon neutral continent with new “European Green Deal”

2021-07-16T14:28:00-04:00

The European Commission, acting on behalf of the European Union, has unveiled details of the “European Green Deal,” with the ambitious aim of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. To achieve this, all 27 EU Member States will pledge to reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

The portfolio of measures set out by the European Union contain many prevalent to the architecture and construction industries. For example, the public sector of each country will be required to renovate 3% of its buildings each year to drive a culture of renovation. The EU estimates that this could lead to 35 million buildings being renovated by 2030, with the creation of 160,000 green jobs in the construction sector.

In addition, the EU has set a benchmark for each Member State to achieve 49% renewable energy use in buildings in 2030, as well as increasing the use of renewable energy in heating and cooling by 1.1 percentage points each year by 2030. Meanwhile...

Could Europe's ambitious climate-action plan spark a new common design aesthetic?

2020-10-05T13:30:00-04:00

[...] the European Union sees a chance to create a new common aesthetic born out of a need to renovate and construct more energy-efficient buildings. The proposal for energy retrofits is part of the climate actions at the core of the EU’s 1.8 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) coronavirus recovery plan and could result in a sweeping architectural makeover, one that leaders have compared to a new Bauhaus movement for the continent.

For Bloomberg CityLab, Kriston Capps and Laura Millan Lombrana contemplate how the European Union's bold $2.1 trillion coronavirus recovery plan, and its embedded measures to make buildings more energy-efficient, could shape architecture and urban design on much of the continent. A new Bauhaus movement maybe?

"The sheer scope of climate actions under consideration could give lawmakers, engineers and architects an opportunity to build toward a shared continental vision," they write.

Europe considers imposing "carbon tariffs" on climate dawdling nations

2019-12-13T19:14:00-05:00

Potential carbon tariffs have been an active topic at the United Nations climate conference that wraps up this weekend in Madrid, where nearly 200 nations have been at odds over how to counter the continued global rise of greenhouse gas emissions. And some diplomats say it’s inevitable that governments will turn to trade barriers in the effort to fight climate change.

Politico reports that as international cooperation toward achieving global carbon reduction goals falters in the face of a climate change-denying American presidential administration, European countries are considering implementing carbon tariffs on imported goods to force a change.

The United States recently moved to exit the landmark Paris Agreement.

Speaking to climate-denying countries in a statement to Politico, European Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans struck a combative tone, saying, "If you take the same, or comparable, measures there will be no need to correct anything at the border," adding, “If you don’t, then of course, at some point we will have to protect our industries.”

Multi-story timber construction receives EU funding boost to tackle climate change

2019-10-15T20:05:00-04:00

Armed with €10m in EU funding, a consortium of 21 European companies and organisations has formed to try and make timber the material of choice for multi-storey buildings instead of steel and concrete. Their aim over the next four years is to remove barriers to timber construction by developing standard, industrialised timber building systems, while documenting the environmental, economic and social benefits.

The multinational, pan European innovation project, called Build-in-Wood, aims to "make wood the common choice of material for construction of multi-story buildings," reports Global Construction Review.

"We’re not trying to create the world’s tallest wood building," project coordinator Niels Morsing from the Danish Technological Institute explains the consortium's long-term motivation, "we’re trying to maximize our impact by targeting wood-based building systems for 3-10 story buildings, where European demand is highest."

EU to pay Gabon to preserve its tropical rain forests

2019-09-23T19:34:00-04:00

Gabon will become the first African nation to receive funding to preserve its rainforests to mitigate the effects of climate change. [...] Norway will pay $150 million to Gabon to battle deforestation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The deal is part of the Central African Forest Initiative [...] The partnership sets a carbon floor price of $10 per certified ton and will be paid on the basis of verified results from 2016 through to 2025.

According to QZ, since 2000, Gabon has created more than a dozen new national parks to help preserve the country's forests. Roughly 12-percent of the Congo Basin Forest, the second-largest tropical rainforest behind the Amazon, is located within Gabon's borders.

“I can only look at the decision to leave the EU with disbelief”: Rem Koolhaas wants to show the EU's positive impact on Britain

2019-05-24T16:26:00-04:00

I am determined not to talk about Europe in terms of crisis or anxiety. I hope that the forces that allow Europe to continue developing constructively can coalesce and collaborate. But it would be foolish to make any predictions about what will happen next. For the first time in my life I don’t understand what is going on in Britain.

With all the uncertainty surrounding Britain's future, Rem Koolhaas recently shared his thoughts with The Guardian on how he watched the country improve when it first became part of the European Union. In light of the EU elections to encourage people to vote, Koolhaas took part in the Eurolab initiative to show how EU and Europe has made a positive impact on Britain. “As someone who experienced this transformation on a day-to-day basis I can only look at the decision to leave the EU with disbelief,” Koolhaas says.

Theresa May resigns: 'The country's left in limbo,' responds RIBA President Ben Derbyshire

2019-05-24T14:16:00-04:00

The news of British Prime Minister Theresa May announcing today that she would move out of 10 Downing Street on June 7, following a lengthy period of political disarray over the UK's post-Brexit future as well as criticism over her handling of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, did not come as an overwhelming surprise anymore.

RIBA President Ben Derbyshire most likely had his response, on behalf of the country's architecture industry, ready to go in his desk drawer for the past weeks, and the time to publicly release it had come now.

"The news that Theresa May will step down as Prime Minister leaves the country in limbo while the clock ticks down to the latest deadline of 31 October," comments Derbyshire. "While much is uncertain, one thing remains clear – a no deal is no option for architecture or the wider construction sector. Whoever becomes the next Prime Minister must focus on taking the country forward with policies beyond Brexit that tackle the major challenges facing the co...

'We believe there is no good Brexit:' British architects respond to impending EU withdrawal

2019-03-21T13:59:00-04:00

Just like manufacturing, architecture is dependent on international trade. British architects export their services, bringing back work and revenues, while a net influx of foreign architects fills offices: A fifth of the profession nationwide is foreign, and in London, a third, according to British architect Piers Taylor. Norman Foster, who heads Foster + Partners, more than 1,000 architects strong, said, “My practice absolutely depends on talent, and much of that talent is foreign.”

The Los Angeles Times details responses of leading British architects, including David Chipperfield, Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, in the light of the looming March 29 deadline for the UK to officially leave the EU—if this Brexit happens without further delay.

"Chipperfield has emerged as architecture’s Churchill in the letter-writing campaign, as he has waged an eloquent, diplomatic campaign of letters to the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Guardian, among others," writes Joseph Giovannini for the LAT. "Like other 'remainers' who mainly argue staying in the EU in economic terms, Chipperfield does acknowledge the economic advantages of remaining, but he points out that commercial criteria and the myopia of money have crowded out the philosophical and political debate."

Last June, the AJ reported that prominent UK architecture firms, Foster + Partners and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, even considered leaving London for the European Union if Brexit meant a significan...

Foster + Partners hints at possibility of leaving London over Brexit

2018-06-19T14:50:00-04:00

The UK’s largest practice, Foster + Partners, says it would consider moving its headquarters from London if Brexit meant it could no longer attract the world’s best architects [...] Less than a quarter of the architects based at Foster + Partners’ huge Battersea head office are UK nationals – with around a half from EU countries. In total, the firm employs 1,061 staff in the UK including 353 architects.

In an interview with The Architects' Journal, Foster + Partners managing partner Matthew Streets didn't rule out leaving London if attracting and employing "the globe’s brightest stars to maintain its position as world leaders" in a United Kingdom outside of the European Union became impossible.

The AJ also reports about similar Brexit-related workforce concerns from another UK architecture powerhouse, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

RIBA releases Brexit report indicating UK architects' growing concerns of the industry's future

2018-03-21T16:04:00-04:00

With one year left until Brexit, 2018 is a critical year for the UK architecture industry. Today, the RIBA released the latest results of their Global by Design report, a comprehensive survey of UK architects on Brexit. Although UK architects can adapt to next year's changes, RIBA describes, they also expressed growing concerns for the uncertain future of their industry in addition to the lack of clarity on the UK's future relationship with the EU.

RIBA surveyed their members between December 2017-January 2018. For starters, 71 percent of architects believe Brexit will have a negative impact on the built environment, compared to 60 percent in the 2017 survey.

The 2018 report also reveals that 68 percent of architects had projects put on hold, and more than 2 in 5 architects (43 percent) had projects cancelled since the EU referendum (in 2017, 61 percent had delays and 36 percent had cancellations). To add to that, 60 percent of EU architects considered leaving the UK since the refer...

The Fundació Mies van der Rohe has launched a mobile app to browse nominated projects

2017-06-22T14:42:00-04:00

The Fundació Mies van der Rohe has launched an app so that anyone with a mobile phone can find on a map, and visit, the nominated works of this year's European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture. The app suggests routes for visiting the sites and even allows it's users to propose new ones. The cities of Berlin, London, Dublin, Paris and Barcelona, in addition to displaying the 2017 nominations, have also included works nominated in past editions of the award.

For Android, the app can be downloaded here.
and for iPhone, here.

The 40 Shortlisted Projects Announced for the EUmiesaward

2017-01-30T13:25:00-05:00

The European Commission and the Funació Mies van der Rohe have announced the 40 shortlisted works for the 2017 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture—the Mies Van der Rohe Award, also known as the EUmiesaward.

Selected from a pool of 355 nominations, the 40 shortlisted projects reflect “the importance of the new generation of architects who have come strongly to the fore in this edition to show how architecture addresses and provides solutions for a broad diversity of issues related to the city and society, to housing, to cultural facilities, to memory and identity, to refurbishment or new buildings, in a convocation that echoes this diversity more than ever,” according Daniel Mòdol, President of the Funació Mies van der Rohe.

As stated in the press release, a third of the works “tackles the contemporary challenges of housing” and another third “tackles the challenge of contemporary architecture in relationship with built heritage.” The five finalists will be announced in ...

While its future appears tenuous, the EU is about to get a shining new headquarters

2017-01-03T12:49:00-05:00

When European leaders meet for the first time in their new headquarters, known as the Europa and built for about 325 million euros, or $340 million, they will experience “joyful” surroundings, Philippe Samyn, the project’s architect, said during a recent tour of the building. It has been a long time since any gathering of the bloc’s leaders could be described as joyful.

The building is described as a "giant glowing orb" or a "vase". It also includes a restored hallways from the building the previously occupied the site, the former headquarters for the Nazis when they occupied Brussels during the war.

The orb is encased in a glass cube. The structure symbolically gestures at its program, with the 3,750 panes of glass that compose the façade set in refurbished oak frames sourced from demolition sites from each of the EU's member nations. But many members of the EU, in particular those that had austerity measures forced upon them, are less than enthused about the building and its price tag.

It's been one month since Brexit. How are you coping?

2016-07-28T15:24:00-04:00

On June 23rd, 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union. In the following month, the pound dropped 10% in value against the US dollar (the lowest since the 1980s), PM David Cameron resigned, Boris Johnson resigned, Nigel Farage too (not before insulting all of the European parliament), and the Labour party are squabbling like children.

After everyone else jumped ship, Theresa May now resides at No.10 and must deal with the aftermath of Brexit. With her new cabinet in place (we are still hoping Boris' appointment as Foreign Secretary is a joke) and the promise that Article 50 will not be triggered until the new year, what happens next?

Fill out our survey and tell us how Brexit has affected you already, and what you think the future holds for a UK outside of the EU.

After Brexit, “the priority for the government at this time will not be big sexy projects”

2016-07-01T18:26:00-04:00

Post-Brexit, the British government has turned into a real hot mess. The pound dropped to its lowest value against the dollar in 30 years ($1.31), and after Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation, Parliament is in turmoil and has yet to name a reliably likely successor. All this uncertainty has pulled some of the UK’s biggest projects into jeopardy.

As Global Construction Review puts it: “All the same, most Britons ended the week unsure 1) who will be in government in three months, 2) when a general election might happen, 3) when Article 50 will be invoked, triggering the formal two-year Brexit negotiation process, or even if 4) Article 50 would ever be invoked at all, given the chorus of voices, both in Parliament and among the general public, calling for a second referendum.”

In this atmosphere, Électricité de France is reconsidering its proposal to build a new nuclear power station in Hinkley Point, and the drop in the pound’s value has led to concerns that the UK c...

With EU Referendum fast approaching, Rem Koolhaas speaks out against 'Brexit'

2016-06-17T12:59:00-04:00

world-renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, who recently chaired a 12-hour debate on "what is Europe?", argues the EU has been a good thing for his country and for the UK, where he began his architecture studies in the 1960s. Sitting in his Rotterdam office, he told me the Brexit camp was full of people who "fundamentally want to change England back to the way it was before" and lamented the way, as he sees it, the EU has been used as a scapegoat.

Koolhaas joins many other architects, including David Chipperfield, Richard Rogers, David Adjaye and Thomas Heatherwick, who oppose Britain leaving the EU, and support a "no" vote come the 'Brexit' decision at the upcoming EU Referendum on June 23.

For more behind 'Brexit':

Watch live: Rem Koolhaas is moderating a 12-hour marathon of interviews on the future of Europe

2016-06-01T12:34:00-04:00

The Forum on European Culture, an initiative of DutchCulture and De Balie, is hosting "1 Night, 12 Hours, 100 Questions," a marathon of interviews centered around the question: What is Europe?

Moderated by Rem Koolhaas alongside political theorist Luuk van Middelaar and De Balie’s director Yoeri Albrecht, the form of the event, a part of the larger initiative #ReCreatingEurope, is inspired by Hans Ulrich Obrist's marathons held annually at the Serpentine Galleries. It's happening now.

The fate of the European Union, and the pan-European project in general, has never been so uncertain. Tensions are rising on the continent as an influx of refugees and the fallout from nearly a decade of austerity politics contribute to growing nationalist movements. In a few weeks, Britain will have a referendum to determine whether or not to stay within the Union. This context will likely background the 24-hour marathon.

The roster of interviewees includes: Inne Olders, Ingo Niermann, Joeri Jansen, Piet...

Germany announces new integration measures for migrants and refugees

2016-04-14T13:07:00-04:00

Germany has announced new legal measures requiring migrants and refugees to integrate into society in return for being allowed to live and work in the country. Under the coalition government’s measures, announced on Thursday morning, asylum seekers face cuts to support if they reject mandatory integration measures such as language classes or lessons in German laws or cultural basics.

"According to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, the aim of Germany’s first ever integration law is to make it easier for asylum seekers to gain access to the German labour market, with the government promising 100,000 new 'working opportunities', expected to include low-paid workfare jobs."

For more on the refugee crisis currently engulfing Europe and the Middle East, take a look at these past articles:

Say no to a "Brexit," says David Chipperfield

2016-03-30T17:18:00-04:00

‘If we accidentally complete our isolation from Europe, please don’t let us imagine that this creates a new openness to the rest of the world – isolation is isolation. We would not only give up the distinct practical advantages of collaboration but the social, political and intellectual advantages too’, he said. Chipperfield, who has offices in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai, has hit out at politicians for failing to articulate the cultural significance of the European Union.

For more UK-specific news, take a look at some past coverage:

Philharmonic Hall of Szczecin scoops up the 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award

2015-05-11T18:47:00-04:00

During a ceremony recently held at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, the European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe officially announced the Philharmonic Hall of Szczecin as the 2015 recipient of the biennial European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. The 2015 edition first rounded up 420 projects down to 40. Then, the jury selected five finalists to compete for the high-ranking €60,000 award.

Completed in 2014 after three years, the Philharmonic Hall replaced the former WWII-era Konzerthaus in Szczecin, Poland. Barcelona-based firm Barozzi / Veiga designed the 3.800 m² geometric structure with a symphony hall that accommodates 1,000 spectators, a chamber music hall for 200 spectators, a multifunctional exhibition + conference space, and a wide foyer that's spacious enough for also hosting events. To add to that, the hall received a nomination in the Design Museum's popular 2015 Designs of the Year.

The five 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award finalists are revealed

2015-02-25T18:15:00-05:00

From 420 to 40 and now the final five. The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe announced the finalists of the 2015 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award today in London. Initiated in 1987, the biennial €60,000 prize is one of the highest-ranking prizes in European architecture for projects less than 2 years old.

The award highlights recent projects that best represent the prize's mission to foster design and technological innovation as well as noteworthy contributions from architects across the continent. Previous grand-prize winners include familiar names like David Chipperfield Architects, SNØHETTA, Zaha Hadid, OMA, Nicholas Grimshaw, Peter Zumthor, Dominique Perrault, Foster + Partners, Álvaro Siza Vieira, and Henning Larsen Architects.

The five contenders are:

↓ Ravensburg Art Museum in Ravensburg, Germany by Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei
Authors: Arno Lederer IC), Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir, and Marc Oei (DE)

↓ Danish Maritime Museum i...

The 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award shortlists 40 projects

2015-02-10T20:16:00-05:00

Out of a competitive pool of 420 projects that were nominated back in December, 40 of them were shortlisted for the 2015 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. The biennial €60,000 prize was initiated by the European Commission and the Barcelona City Hall in 1987 and is considered to be the highest-ranking award in contemporary European architecture.

The selected projects, which must have been completed within the last two years, are regarded as models of architectural and technological innovation in European architecture. The awards program also acknowledges the significant contributions and the evolving creative process of present-day architects working throughout the continent.

↑ Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands by Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos.

↑ Danish Maritime Museum in Helsingør, Denmark by BIG

↑ Marseille Vieux Port in Marseille, France by Foster + Partners

↑ De Rotterdam in Rotterdam, The Netherlands by OMA

↑ Everyman Theatre in Liverpoo...

The European Mies van der Rohe Award rounds up 420 nominated projects for 2015

2014-12-17T19:27:00-05:00

A total of 420 projects across Europe were nominated to compete for the 2015 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award, regarded as the highest-ranking prize in European architecture for projects less than 2 years old. The biennial €60,000 prize was initiated in 1987 by the European Commission and the Barcelona City Hall to highlight recent projects that are exemplary of the prize's mission to foster design and technological innovation as well as noteworthy contributions from architects across the continent. The prize also gives an outlook of the evolving creative process of present-day architects working in Europe.

With 420 nominees, perhaps it's still too early to predict which projects will get shortlisted and then become finalists by the end of January 2015.

A few of the 2015 nominees include:

Spots - a conversion of former transformation stations in Košice, Slovakia by Architektonické štúdio Atrium

Hideg House in Kőszeg, Hungary by Béres Architect...

How pictures of the Eiffel Tower at night violate copyright

2014-11-11T15:06:00-05:00

Indeed, taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower at night for any reason other than personal use is, technically, a violation of French copyright law [...]. A daytime photo is fine—copyright on the structure itself has expired—but night time photos remain problematic because the light show is more recent than the tower itself. Also illegal is taking a photo of the Atomium, Belgium’s most famous tourist attraction [...].