Archinect - News

Zaha Hadid Architects' Eleftheria Square inaugurated in Nicosia, Cyprus

2021-12-20T18:47:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid Architects’ Eleftheria Square in Nicosia, Cyprus has been inaugurated. The project intends to be the city's primary gathering space, establishing new connections to unite a divided capital.

Image: Laurian Ghinitoiu / Zaha Hadid Architects

Eleftheria Square is located near the center of Nicosia, adjacent to the centuries-old Venetian Walls and the dry moat that encircles the city. ZHA envisioned the project as the initial phase of a much larger urban plan that could be a catalyst for the reunification of the capital. The design provides unobstructed views of the Venetian Walls, highlighting the significance of the structures as an integral part of Nicosia’s identity. The dry moat was also opened for public use.

Image: Laurian Ghinitoiu / Zaha Hadid Architects

Through the transformation of previously inaccessible areas of the moat with the addition of new civic plazas, gardens, and palm-lined promenades, the moat can act as a “green belt” around the city. The design elevates...

Dan Hart officially takes over as the 98th AIA President

2021-12-13T15:43:00-05:00

Important news today for one of America’s oldest architectural organizations as the American Institute of Architects has announced the formal inauguration of Dan Hart, FAIA as the organization’s 98th president.

Hart comes from a particularly strong background of leadership, holding previous positions as a longtime member of the AIA’s Board of Directors in addition to serving as the 2011 president of the Texas Society of Architects. As a board member, Hart was responsible for organizing the AIA’s official COVID-19 business task force (which he co-chaired) and was also chair of the Public Outreach and Board Knowledge Committees in addition to serving as the moderator for the AIA’s Strategic Council in 2016.

Hart has practiced architecture since completing his bachelor’s studies in engineering at Texas Tech University in 1990, becoming a principal at the multidisciplinary firm Parkhill the next year, where he focused on projects in the higher education sector based out of the firm’s Au...

Peter Exley inaugurated as 2021 AIA President

2020-12-11T12:47:00-05:00

Architect and educator Peter Exley, FAIA was inaugurated as the American Institute of Architects' 97th president yesterday.

Exley is the co-founder and director of Chicago-based architecture, design, and consulting firm, Architecture Is Fun, Inc., which won the AIA Chicago Firm of the Year award in 2017.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (Master of Architecture) and Newcastle University (Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies), Exley has been an adjunct professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) for more than two decades.

Within the institute, Exley has served as the at-large-director on the AIA Board; chair of the AIA’s Public Outreach Committee; 2013 president of AIA Chicago; Illinois regional representative to the Strategic Council; and liaison to the AIA’s Young Architects Forum.

"While I’m not naïve to the challenges our profession, industry, and society have been dealt in the face of the pandemic, I would like my tenure in 2021 to facilitate ...

Zaha Hadid's Al Wakrah 2022 FIFA World Cup Stadium in Qatar inaugurated

2019-06-03T15:41:00-04:00

With the first big kick-off for the 2022 FIFA World Cup still more than three years away, the Zaha Hadid/Aecom-designed Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar recently hosted its inaugural soccer match with 40,000 fans and royal family members in attendance.

The stadium—not entirely uncontroversial since its conception in 2013—is the second fully operational venue for the 2022 tournament, following the Khalifa International Stadium redevelopment, and the first newly built site to host games for the 32 participating teams from November 21 through December 18, 2022.

Image courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects.

"The client’s brief called for a 40,000-seat football stadium for the 2022 World Cup which could be reduced to a 20,000-seat capacity in its legacy mode following the tournament," explains the project description from Zaha Hadid Architects.

"20,000 seats is the optimum capacity for legacy use as the home ground to Al Wakrah Sport Club professional football team of the Qatar Stars nat...

William J. Bates inaugurated as 2019 AIA President

2018-12-12T19:36:00-05:00

Following the announcement of his appointment in 2017, architect William J. Bates was inaugurated as the 2019 President of the AIA last Friday, December 7.

Bates recently retired from the Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, where he worked as the vice president of real estate and oversaw the restaurant growth division. He was the AIA’s 2018 vice president, and has been a member of the Institute's Board of Directors since 2011.

Having plenty of leadership experience, his previous roles include serving as the president of AIA Pennsylvania in 1991 and 2010, vice president and chair of the AIA Board Community Committee from 2015-2016, and the president of the AIA Pittsburgh chapter in 1987. He has chaired boards for the Design Center Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, and the Green Building Alliance. To add to that, Bates was also an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon.

“During my tenure as your president, and thereafter, I will focus on helping to make our profession o...

China inaugurates the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the world's longest sea-crossing bridge

2018-10-23T19:47:00-04:00

Local leaders hope the bridge will expand the potential for growth in the area, by easing access to cheaper land on the western side and ports and other infrastructure to the east. Critics of the project say its goals are more political than economic, aiding efforts by China’s central government to bind the former colonies of Hong Kong and Macau more tightly with the rest of the country.

Delayed by two years, billions of dollars over budget, and wrought with controversy, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge was officially declared open by China's leader Xi Jinping today. With AECOM as engineers, the 34-mile structure required over 400,000 tons of steel and includes a 4-mile undersea tunnel that links the Hong Kong side to the main bridge span. As part of the bridge, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and AEDAS designed the Passenger Clearance Building, a boundary crossing facility, on a new 150-hectare artificial island.

With the bridge, traveling from Zhuhai to Hong Kong International Airport will take 45 minutes instead of four hours, officials said. Traveling between Zhuhai and the Kwai Tsing Container Terminal will take 75 minutes instead of 3.5 hours.

According to The New York Times, most travelers will cross the bridge via shuttle bus lines. Private cars will have limited access, and special permits will be required to drive through the entire structure.

...

Mecanoo's National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan celebrates grand opening

2018-10-19T19:22:00-04:00

Opening night finally arrived for Taiwan's new National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts on October 13. Located on a former military training base in Weiwuying Park, the Mecanoo-designed building houses a 2,236-seat Opera House, a 1,981-seat Concert Hall, a 1,210-seat Playhouse, a 434-seat Recital Hall, and an Outdoor Theater. At the heart of the building is the publicly accessible Banyan Plaza, where events can take place.

Photo: Iwan Baan.

“Inspired by the beauty of the local Banyan trees with their iconic canopies of leaves, the vast, undulating structure is composed of a unique skin and roof under which generous free spaces can flow,” Mecanoo Founding Partner Francine Houben previously described.

Photo: Shawn Liu Studio.

Photo: Sytze Boonstra.

Photo: National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying).

Photo: Ethan Lee.

Opening festivities began with a special ceremony featuring addresses from President of Taiwan Tsai Ing...

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to inaugurate Glassell School of Art on May 20, completes first phase of redevelopment

2018-05-15T18:48:00-04:00

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will celebrate the inauguration of the Glassell School of Art this Sunday, May 20, marking the completion of the first phase of the museum's 14-acre redevelopment. The first phase also includes the BBVA Compass Roof Garden designed by Steven Holl Architects and The Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza by Deborah Nevins & Associates.

According to recent details from the MFAH, the Steven Holl Architects-designed, L-shaped Glassell School of Art features a 93,000 square-foot interior containing: three dozen studios illuminated with natural light; public gallery spaces for student and alumni exhibitions; a broad-stepped central staircase serving as the school's forum; a 75-seat auditorium; and a public coffee bar. With summer classes scheduled to begin on June 4, the school is the only museum-affiliated art school in the U.S. serving pr...

Peek inside the new Dorte Mandrup-designed Wadden Sea Centre

2017-02-07T19:51:00-05:00

The newly redesigned Wadden Sea Centre is now in full operation at the Wadden Sea National Park, Denmark's largest national park and a UNESCO-appointed heritage site. Copenhagen-based Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter, who designed the Sailing Tower in Aarhus and won the Träpriset prize for the Råå Day Care Center, was put in charge of converting and expanding the Sea Centre in 2014.

The Sea Centre lets visitors learn about the unique backstory of the surrounding landscape, which is described as a resting place for some 15 million migratory birds. Costing approximately €7.2 million (53 million DKK), the redesigned building now has 2,800 square meters of exhibition space and large glass windows to allow ample sunlight and views of the landscape.

Dorte Mandrup envisioned the building's design as “a new sculptural interpretation” rooted in the region's tradition and history — and quite literally too, in that the architects wanted the building to appear as if it had emerged from the ground.

Based ...

3XN-Designed UN City in Copenhagen Inaugurated

2013-07-03T18:38:00-04:00

The new regional head office of the United Nations in Copenhagen, designed by 3XN, has just been inaugurated. Check out the very impressive sculptural staircase in its core which, according to the architects, is designed to reflect the UN’s work to create global dialogue.

Cathedral of the Northern Lights inaugurated

2013-02-11T15:18:00-05:00

The new Cathedral of the Northern Lights, situated in the Norwegian town of Alta over 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, has just been inaugurated by the Crown Princess of Norway, Mette-Marit. The 154-foot-high cathedral, designed by Link Arkitektur in collaboration with schmidt hammer lassen architects and Haldde Arkitekter Inc., is perceived as a symbol and an architectural landmark for the entire area.

Inauguration of schmidt hammer lassen’s IBC Innovation Factory

2012-12-06T14:09:00-05:00

schmidt hammer lassen architects just completed another building in Kolding, Denmark: The International Business College (IBC) Innovation Factory was officially inaugurated yesterday by the Prince Consort of Denmark. The 12,800 m2 (137,780 sq ft) educational building has gone through a total refurbishment and is designed to support new ways of learning.

Mexico Inaugurates World's Tallest Suspension Bridge

2012-01-06T17:15:00-05:00

With yesterday’s inauguration, the Baluarte Bridge in Mexico is officially the Guinness World Record holder for the tallest cable-stayed bridge. The massive infrastructure project consists of 152 steel suspenders supporting over 1100 meters of 20 meter wide roadway, with a central span of over 520 meters. Its four lanes are held up by two 400 meter towers – tall enough to house the Eiffel Tower – which bring the structure its impressive world record credentials.