Archinect - News

COP29: New Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate to speed up decarbonization efforts in the building sector

2024-11-25T10:04:00-05:00

Last week at the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, the UNEP-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) announced the formation of the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) in order to administer goals set forth by the Chaillot Declaration from earlier this year.

This is aimed at helping fasten efforts at decarbonization and regulation in the building sector, which account for 37% of global emissions and is also growing in terms of sheer building footprint worldwide. New International definitions for low carbon cement and concrete were also launched at COP29 by the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA).

AIA announces participation in CO29 summit in Azerbaijan

2024-11-12T13:10:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced its fourth official cohort of delegates that will be traveling to Azerbaijan to represent the organization and its interests at this month’s COP29 Summit in Baku. The contingent will be present to share the AIA's call on industry and governments to increase the amount of research and development for emerging decarbonization technologies. The announcement also mentions the publication of the AIA's first-ever AIA Materials Pledge ‘By the Numbers’ annual report, which includes 280 signatories. COP29 takes place from November 11th to the 22nd this year against claims of greenwashing and authoritarianism on the part of the Azerbaijani government.

The New East is where western starchitect dreams come true (or turn into nightmares)

2016-01-07T14:00:00-05:00

The rise of international architecture competitions has given western architects an opportunity to make their mark on eastern Europe and Central Asia [...] Regardless of record-high fees, some of their projects are being cancelled half-way through or take a good decade to build. But the ones that are brought to life often become some of the most recognised works of its authors. For starchitects the miles between eastern Europe and Central Asia is the place where dreams and ambitions come true.

Azerbaijan counts human cost of architecture

2014-07-14T13:10:00-04:00

Baku is gaining international recognition as a centre of cutting-edge architectural design thanks in part to a major award given recently to London-based architect Zaha Hadid for her Heydar Aliyev Centre. The Azerbaijani capital’s new look has plenty of local fans, but also some detractors. [...] The latest wave of protests occurred in February and March, prompted by a government announcement that 40,000 downtown residents would be evicted to make way for a “green zone” [...].

Zaha Hadid wins the Design Museum’s Designs of the Year Award 2014

2014-06-30T18:17:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid is the first woman to win the Design Museum's Designs of the Year Award 2014 with her Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan. Another first in this year's competition is that the Heydar Aliyev Center is the first architectural project to win the widely recognized award.

The competition began with 76 nominations in the categories Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Product, and Transport, followed by the selection of the seven Category winners.

Any thoughts on the jury's selection? Share 'em in the comment section below.

Who’s Winning the Architecture Arms Race?

2013-10-14T13:20:00-04:00

Answer: Baku, Azerbaijan, where the government is spending an estimated $6 billion a year on architecture projects. As we wrote in February, Azerbaijan’s leaders want to make their capital city a destination for the rich and fabulous. The latest example: the Heydar Aliyev Center designed by Zaha Hadid, for whom it offered the rare opportunity of nearly total design freedom. Every roof and ceiling panel is different, Hadid says.

Fire at Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku: no damage

2012-07-21T13:56:00-04:00

As a result of the fire that took place at the Heydar Aliyev Center designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in Baku today no damage was caused to inner part of the building, halls and others, a joint statement of Emergency Situations Ministry and Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office says.

Fire on Hadid's Aliyev Culture Center

2012-07-21T13:36:04-04:00

The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, is on fire.

Half moon hotel shows Baku's stellar architectural ambitions

2011-11-16T08:34:14-05:00

When completed in 2015, Hotel Crescent will stand on the banks of the Caspian Sea, its 33-stories housed in a vast, down-turned crescent. A sister project was proposed called the Full Moon Hotel that would have brought something resembling the Death Star from "Star Wars" to the Caspian coastline.