Archinect

The Brutalist Is a Cinematic Reflection of Brutalism

2024-12-21T00:20:00-05:00

Brutalist architecture is raw, powerful, emotional, and unapologetically honest. It rejects ornamentation and architectural devices designed to make its inhabitants feel comfortable, instead creating a visceral, primal experience. Brutalism is a feeling—a bold statement that doesn’t need to justify itself. Composed of raw, unrefined materials, it strips architecture down to its essence, evoking reactions that are often as extreme as the style itself. These are some of the reasons why I personally love brutalism, and perhaps also why I found myself captivated by The Brutalist.

To delve deeper into the mindset of the fictional architect, László Tóth, and his work, I spoke with Adrien Brody, the film’s lead actor, and Judy Becker, its visionary production designer. Their insights illuminate the emotional and symbolic layers behind this unique cinematic endeavor.

2023 saw twelve-year high fatality rates for construction workers

2024-12-20T16:33:00-05:00

Last year was one of the deadliest on record for construction workers since 2011. The findings produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that the rate of deaths in 2023 was still unchanged from the previous year’s survey. The fatality rate (9.6 per 100,000) has been hovering around what OHSA considers to be a relatively high 10 per 100,000 for over a decade, the span in which the workforce has grown some 31%. (h/t Construction Dive).

LSC—O by M1DTW Architects

2024-12-20T16:17:00-05:00

LSC—O is an exhibition support outpost for Library Street Collective, a Detroit-based gallery that specializes in bringing experiential contemporary art to the public. The project represents a complete transformation of a neglected 2,000 SF commercial building located in Detroit’s East Village neighborhood, a few blocks from the client’s Shepherd and Lantern developments.

The interior is configured as a support space for the client’s many curatorial needs. A system of ready-made industrial pallet racks was adapted to store and protect items from damage and to help define the building’s other uses, from desk work to private showings.

The project is inherently flexible and achieves its goals with a limited material palette, including a burnished concrete floor, raw wood ceiling, and gallery white walls. Spaces are defined by the placement of commercial pallet racks, powder-coated in a custom color. Racks adjacent to the entryway and office area are clad on one side in wood panels ripped...

USC Students Try a ‘Bottom-Up’ Approach To Sustainable Housing Delivery in the School of Architecture’s Adaptive P/Re-Use Studios

2024-12-20T16:00:00-05:00

Our latest Archinect Studio Pin-Ups takes a look at three studios at Archinect Partner School USC School of Architecture, offered as part of their one-year Master of Advanced Architectural Research Studies (M.AARS) postgraduate program.

Led by instructors Julia Sulzer and Sascha Delz, the Adaptive P/Re-use studios explored new possibilities for adaptive reuse schemes and non-speculative housing models as weapons to combat the crises of affordable housing and accessible urban services in Los Angeles.

The results showcase the greater need for deep sustainability, resilient design, zoning reforms, and more inclusive and democratic economic systems. A report was produced as part of one studio, and students learning under Sulzer's Spring 2024 offering collectively designed a 1-1 intervention using the adaptive p/re-use design ideas they produced in the previous term.

New architecture and design competitions: Students Reinventing Cities, Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition, Kitchen Design Awards, and Ostrava Soccer Stadium

2024-12-20T15:17:00-05:00

This edition of Bustler's curated picks of noteworthy architecture and design competitions features four calls seeking designs of new soccer stadium for Czech club, FC Baník Ostrava, outstanding kitchen designs, exceptional projects by North American designers who showcase inventive uses of Italian ceramic tiles in their work, and innovative student-driven proposals that aim to accelerate green urban redevelopment.

For the complete directory of newly listed competitions, click here.

Foster + Partners unveils next two-tower luxury scheme for Dubai’s Business Bay

2024-12-20T14:27:00-05:00

Months after inaugurating the new Lana Residences and hotel complex in Dubai, a new design for a neighboring plot from Foster + Partners has been announced featuring two new luxury residential towers with heights totaling 590.5 feet (or 180 meters). One apartment is allotted per floor to bring the total to 60 in both towers. Each unit is equipped with a range of wellness amenities to go along with winding interlocked terraces offering views of Dubai's high-rise architecture and the adjacent Marasi Marina.

Image rendering courtesy Foster + Partners

Previewing TWBTA and Davis Brody Bond's new U.S. Embassy in Mexico City

2024-12-20T13:55:00-05:00

Work is wrapping up on the new U.S. Embassy facility in Mexico City designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien (TWBTA) and David Brody Bond at a reported cost of around $1 billion. The LA Times recently checked in on its delayed progress. The project first began construction on the Paseo de la Reforma in February 2018. An opening is now expected by the last quarter of 2025.

Image rendering by DBB/TWBTA

3XN's mass timber Sydney Fish Market project tops out in Australia

2024-12-20T13:16:00-05:00

Construction on the new Sydney Fish Market from 3XN has topped out in Australia. The 700,000-square-foot building will become the largest fish market and have the largest glulam roof structure in the southern hemisphere once completed. Its PV-paneled roof is calibrated to withstand high wind loads while meeting the spatial demands required by the marketplace, is held in place by 594 beams, and is capable of harvesting rainwater throughout the year.

The project offers a worthy follow-up to the Danish firm's award-winning work on the upcycled Quay Quarter Tower in Sydney. They are working locally with local architects BVN, GXN Innovation, and the landscape architects Aspect Studios.

British Museum taps London's Studio Weave for new welcome pavilions design

2024-12-20T10:01:00-05:00

A winner has been crowned in the international competition to deliver a new welcome pavilion and public realm design at the British Museum’s north and south entrances. The London-based Studio Weave emerged from a shortlist of five teams that was announced in October. Joining them for the project are Wright & Wright Architects, Webb Yates Engineers, Tom Massey Studio, and Daisy Froud. The museum expects construction to be ready by spring 2026.

2024 showcased the potential of 3D printing in architecture

2024-12-20T08:00:00-05:00

The architecture world witnessed a transformative year in 2024, with 3D printing continuing to broaden the possibilities of design and construction. From high-profile collaborations between architecture firms and technology companies to groundbreaking projects that span continents—and even reach beyond Earth—this year marked a surge in innovation across construction sites and research labs alike.

This year, Archinect’s editorial included exclusive insights from BIG’s Bjarke Ingels and ICON’s Melodie Yashar, digging deeper into a collaboration spanning 3D printing materials, hardware, software, and business models. Elsewhere, we saw notable projects such as North America’s first 3D-printed three-story home and the world’s tallest 3D-printed tower in Switzerland, and innovative research led by institutions including MIT, Princeton, ETH Zurich, and IAAC, dwelling on topics as diverse as fish scales to liquid metal.

To further explore these trends, we have set out the key developments a...

amorph living sculpture | timber construction by Lechner & Lechner Architects

2024-12-19T18:22:00-05:00

Lechner & Lechner Architects have employed a curved timber frame construction method to craft the Amorph Living Sculpture, an architectural vision that seamlessly integrates living spaces with the surrounding natural landscape. Through meticulous site analysis and vantage point selection, guided by tools such as Google Earth, the project draws visual connections to significant landmarks including Leopoldskron Castle, the Leopoldskron Pond, Hohensalzburg Fortress, and the Untersberg mountain range.

Merging Architecture with the Landscape

At the heart of the project lies the ambition to dissolve boundaries between interior spaces and the environment, fostering a dialogue between architecture and nature. The fluid, free-form floor plan is deliberately designed to frame and optimize sightlines toward the natural and cultural landmarks, resulting in an organic architectural expression. Two slender, interlocking volumes converge at an angle, creating a dynamic central opening that acts as...

Bridger Canyon Passive House by Love | Schack Architecture

2024-12-19T18:18:00-05:00

Upon entering the four-acre lot, homeowners Ryan and Margo Reynolds immediately found the ideal site for their seasonal retreat. Surrounded by tall pines and stunning views of Ross Peak and the Bridger Range, the home’s facade seamlessly blends with the wooded site. Located on Solitude Lane, the young couple from Brooklyn are planning just that: find reprieve in their second home in Montana. They tasked Love Schack Architecture with designing a rural residence that could withstand Montana’s harsh winters and limit energy use through Passive House methods.

The home features a sunny kitchen with eastern and western light on the main floor, opening up to a dining room, media room, and living room designed to host large family gatherings—the interior leads to a covered deck with a fireplace and spa that can be used year-round. Dual primary suites on the top floor were inspired by the owners' travel experiences with friends and family, where securing the ‘best room’ in a large home woul...

Nonprofit begins 100 home 3D printed supportive housing project in Austin

2024-12-19T16:46:00-05:00

ICON’s 100 home 3D printed Community First! Village is underway in an effort to combat homelessness in the Austin, Texas area. The only neighborhood of its kind in the nation, Community First! Village provides permanent housing solutions and supportive care for those experiencing chronic homelessness.

ICON's contribution to the larger development, which serves 1,800 people, follows its previous work with Lennar on the Wolf Ranch in Georgetown, Texas.

The homes 3D printed by ICON across in the Village’s expansion are a mix of townhome units and family designs with footprints varying between 380 to 1,040 square feet.

Image courtesy ICON

Construction starts rise 5% in November, led by booming nonbuilding market

2024-12-19T14:55:00-05:00

The total number of construction starts increased by 5% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.2 trillion. According to Dodge Construction Network, nonresidential building starts grew by 2%, nonbuilding starts were 16% high, and residential starts fell by 1%.

For the 12 months ending November 2024, total construction starts were up 4% from the 12 months ending November 2023. Residential starts were up 7%, nonresidential starts were up 2%, and nonbuilding starts rose 4% over the same period. The number of manufacturing starts was down 52%.

"Construction starts continue to move sideways as the market waits for further rate cuts," Richard Branch, the chief economist of Dodge Construction Network, stated. "Elevated interest rates, labor shortages, and strict lending standards will continue to constrain construction activity in the near term."

The largest nonbuilding proj...

26 featured architecture jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area

2024-12-19T13:43:00-05:00

This week's edition of our curated career roundup from the Archinect Job board features 13 architecture and design firms in the San Francisco Bay Area currently offering a range of exciting opportunities.

For helpful guidance on how to get that next job, make sure to check out Archinect's Guide to Job Titles series and our Archinect Tips collection.

Sand Harbor Visitor Center by Bull Stockwell Allen.

Bull Stockwell Allen seeks a Designer, a Job Captain, a Project Architect, and a Senior Project Architect in San Francisco

Designer details: "The Designer will play a key role in supporting the design and production process throughout all project phases. Working closely with the Senior Designer and Job Captain, you will help create visual presentations and communicate design objectives using various methods of representation. Additionally, you will assist with project management tasks such as client meetings, contractor coordination, and ensuring that all project deliverables meet contra...

Los Angeles' best new and future projects honored at the 2024 AIA|LA Design Awards

2024-12-19T12:10:00-05:00

The 2024 AIA|LA Design Awards winners were announced recently during a special ceremony at the brand new AIA|LA and Architecture for Communities Los Angeles (ACLA) Center for Communities in historic West Adams.

As in past iterations, the AIA|LA says these projects best represent their organizational values of equity, diversity, inclusivity, community, and sustainability while also exemplifying the industry’s proactive fight against climate change.

"We’re thrilled to introduce the Center to our members and the broader community," said Carlo Caccavale, Hon. AIA|LA, Executive Director of AIA|LA and ACLA. "This space elevates our capacity to serve both the profession and Los Angeles, setting a new standard in how we connect, collaborate, and create lasting impact."

Gruen Associates partner Debra Gerod joined the field as the winner of this year's Gold Medal Award.

2024 AIA|LA DESIGN AWARD WINNERS

Typology: Adaptive Re-use/Renovation/Historical Preservation

Merit Award: Sandi Simon Center for...

University of Pennsylvania to Honor SANAA

2024-12-19T11:32:00-05:00

On January 22, 2025, the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design will honor SANAA, the Tokyo-based architecture firm founded by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, as the recipient of the 2024 Kanter Tritsch Medal in Architecture. Sejima will accept the award and give a talk at the public ceremony.

The Kanter Tritsch Medal in Architecture was established in 2017 through a gift from Weitzman alumna Lori Kanter Tritsch (MArch’85), a member of the Board of Advisors at Weitzman, and her partner and fellow Penn alumnus William P. Lauder, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School and is a Penn trustee. The Medal honors an architect or firm that has changed the course of design history, with a particular focus on the areas of energy conservation, environmental quality, and/or diversity.

In conjunction with the professional medal, the Weitzman School selected an outstanding student entering the final year of study to receive a $50,000 scholarsh...

Helsinki Harbor's Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design names five shortlist teams

2024-12-19T08:45:00-05:00

Five finalists have been named in the competition to create the first home for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design in Helsinki’s South Harbor area.

The designer’s names will remain anonymous through this stage while entries are listed by their initial number and title. A total of 624 were submitted from across the world. The 13-member jury will grant each a €50,000 ($52,000) development fee and expects to come back with the final winner's announcement by September 2025.

Beate Hølmebakk, jury panel member and partner at Manthey Kula in Oslo said: “The five finalist projects represent different visions for an inviting and inspirational museum situated on one of Helsinki’s most important sites. What these entries share is their potential to be buildings of extraordinary and lasting architectural quality. It is the jury’s opinion that they all have distinct urban presence and exceptional spatial properties that allow the new museum of architecture and design to organize the ri...

Ju+ Coffee by modum atelier

2024-12-19T00:46:00-05:00

ju+ coffee

Located in the south of Nanjing's old city, ju+ coffee is surrounded by Ming and Qing Dynasty-style houses. The store faces Shengzhou Road, which is lined with banyan trees like umbrellas, and is a five-minute walk from the Qinhuai River. Less than a hundred meters away from the store, in a narrow doorway hidden by a blue signboard next door that reads “Copper and Aluminum Materials”, there is a Qing Dynasty A-Ma Taoist temple, the Tianhou Temple.

Project Location

Houses with different functional attributes intertwine and coexist, forming the complex urban fabric of this area. The commercial pattern of the ground floor stores along the street still focuses on basic services such as laundries, hardware and miscellaneous stores, and small restaurants. From the perspective of commercial location, Shengzhou Road connects the two very active business districts of Xinanli Historical and Cultural Leisure District, MixC mall and National Entrepreneurship Park, with good poten...

Venice begins glass replacement of Calatrava's slippery Constitution Bridge

2024-12-18T17:19:00-05:00

Santiago Calatrava’s marvelous yet befuddling pedestrian bridge at the Ponte della Costituzione in Venice is now in the process of reconstruction in the wake of the city government issuing fines in response to slip and fall injuries that followed its opening in September 2008. All 284 glass steps are to be replaced with safer stone upgrades, according to The Times’s reporting. The repairs, which were finally agreed to by officials in 2022, will cost approximately €500,000 ($518,000 USD). That's enough for almost 13 of his new Gübelin watches!

Heatherwick Studio opens ceramics-rich Xi’an CCBD development in China

2024-12-18T16:08:00-05:00

Heatherwick Studio has updated the new Xi’an Centre Culture Business District upon its first public opening after sharing details of the project with Archinect last November.

The development occupies space between the ruins of the Temple of Heaven and the famed Shaanxi TV Tower. Central to its design is the artistic heritage of ceramics in the region. A nod to the historical presence of the Terracotta Army can be seen in the exterior tiled cladding on each of its buildings’ facades.

Photo credit: Qingyan Zhu

This confers an inviting tactile impression that will further lure its users. The studio’s founder, Thomas Heatherwick, says it also results in an "unexpected three-dimensional urban landscape" equalling 155,000 square meters (or more than 1.6 million square feet).

Photo credit: Qingyan Zhu

Within its pedestrian-centric "sensory experience" comprised of a retail podium, offices, a hotel, and apartments, activity converges around a central plaza with a 187-foot high vertical park ...

Building as Painting, Interpreting Song Aesthetics Anew: Zhongtian · Jing Yue Qing Lan "Multicolor Villa" by line+

2024-12-18T13:54:00-05:00

“When allowed to design a low-density modern residential community in Lin'an, the birthplace of Wu-Yue culture, the aim was to address the fundamental needs of contemporary living. Through the intersection of modernity and Chineseness, we sought to reflect on the evolving relationship between lifestyle progression and cultural heritage.” — Zhu Peidong

Over the past two decades, contemporary Chinese residential architecture has evolved through various phases, beginning with foreign influences, moving through rapid turnover and homogenization, and culminating in a new "Chinese-style" housing that responds to traditional architectural culture. However, driven by market forces, "Chinese-style" has increasingly become a generalized symbol, detached from regional and cultural contexts, and more focused on the demands of property buyers. It is both an architectural style and a reflection of modern people's nostalgia for traditional living.

As the commercialization of Chinese-style homes p...

above the trees by Lechner & Lechner Architects

2024-12-18T13:44:00-05:00

The building site, situated on a sloping hillside in Salzburg, is accessed via a narrow road. This elevated position provides an exceptional opportunity to craft a structure that harmoniously engages with the varying levels of the terrain, establishes a seamless connection to the surrounding landscape, and frames expansive, distant views.

The design prioritizes a compact form, with the exception of a sheltered forecourt on the ground floor. This forecourt, crowned by the cantilevered upper story, creates a valuable horizontal plateau that integrates with the slope. Large, ceiling-height glazing defines the relationship with the exterior, mirroring the orientation of balconies and terraces to the east, south, and west.

The floor plan tapers toward the vista, channeling views of the mountainous horizon even from deeper interior spaces, such as the bathroom. On the Salzburg-facing side, the structure appears slender and unobtrusive, blending into its urban and natural surroundings. The...

November's AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index nearly flat for second month in a row

2024-12-18T12:54:00-05:00

The latest AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) for November has recorded a second consecutive flat reading. The slight decrease to 49.6 indicates a near-equal balance between the number of firms experiencing a decrease in billings versus those seeing increases. Inquiries into new work continued to grow, while the value of newly signed design contracts declined for the eighth month in a row.

"Given the extended weakness in business conditions at architecture firms, increasing firm profitability remains the top concern for 2025, with one-third of firm leaders selecting it as a major issue—the highest since 2017," Kermit Baker, the AIA's Chief Economist, said in a statement.

"Negotiating appropriate project fees ranked second, chosen by 21 percent, while 20 percent identified finding new clients and markets or improving business planning and marketing as a top concern, up from 18 percent last year," his statement continued.

Related on Archinect: Architecture Business Metrics ...

City of London approves record-tying skyscraper design from Eric Parry Architects

2024-12-18T12:11:00-05:00

A challenger to The Shard’s title as the tallest skyscraper in the UK is moving forward with plans to construct a new building designed by Eric Parry Architects that will equal its record height of 309.6 meters (or 1,015.75 feet). The height is limited by aviation safety rules for the City of London, where the planned 1 Undershaft will soon begin construction towards an anticipated early-2030s completion.

As was first reported by The Guardian, "On completion, 1 Undershaft, which is being built on the site occupied by insurer Aviva’s former headquarters, will provide almost 13% of the office space required in the City of London to 2040."

Image: DBOX/Eric Parry Architects

Homebase Factory by AshariArchitects

2024-12-18T11:41:00-05:00

The architecture of most industrial factories is often rigid, monotonous, and designed solely for work, typically lacking in quality by overlooking the living conditions of the personnel. However, since employees spend a significant amount of time in the workspace, it is essential to consider factors that influence their sense of satisfaction and comfort. Studies have shown that the work environment impacts employee satisfaction, attachment to the workplace, performance, efficiency, and ultimately, the productivity of the factory. Therefore, by diagnosing the current conditions, the design goal is "to enhance the quality of the factory space for employees and contribute to increased factory productivity."

With this objective, we decided to reduce the rigidity of the factory building's mass and introduce features that allow nature to penetrate and create interactive spaces for various sections. The following strategies align with this goal:

Creation of a Movement and Communic...

Project Stress Index records 14.7% increase for November

2024-12-18T09:59:00-05:00

The Project Stress Index (PSI) composite closed November 2024 at 119.8, rising 14.7% from a revised October reading of 104.5.

Sharp increases in on-hold (29.4%) and abandonment (31.9%) activity drove the month-over-month increase. The month's reading is a new high for the PSI following its August 2024 low of 87.9. Conditions are 20% above the average 2021 level, and the composite remains more than 5% below the level from the start of the year.

ConstructionConnect's Chief Economist Michael Guckes noted: "Since the Federal Reserve began adjusting the Federal Funds Rate lower in mid-September, the PSI has made multiple drastic monthly moves, ranging from a 14% decline to a 17.6% increase."

Related on Archinect: November's construction input prices remain flat

"The election of President-elect Trump has brought with it many ideas and plans that could substantially shift the business landscape and impact both existing and prospective commercial real estate owners and developers."

"Until re...

Pratt Institute is searching for a new Chairperson for Graduate Architecture

2024-12-18T08:56:00-05:00

Following our previous look at an opening for a Preservation Architect at Architectural Preservation Studio, DPC, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Chairperson of Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design at The Pratt Institute School of Architecture.

The role, based in New York, calls for a “dynamic and visionary leader with outstanding communication, listening, and organizational skills who will build upon the strengths of the existing programs to serve as Chairperson for the Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design (GA/LA/UD) department.” The successful candidate will provide academic, curricular, and administrative leadership, as well as work with faculty to establish a vision for the department and each program. Among the required qualifications is a professional degree in architecture and at least five years of college-level teaching experience.

Related on A...

Grenfell victims' families file ARB complaint against refurbishment architect

2024-12-17T17:43:00-05:00

The BBC is reporting on an effort led by family members of victims of the fatal 2017 Grenfell Fire tragedy to hold Studio E, the architectural firm responsible for its design, accountable in front of the UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB).

The action outlines Studio E as a negligent party. The BBC reports Studio E is already undergoing the liquidation process. Petitioners are, however, hoping to "set a precedent enabling other residents of buildings with dangerous cladding to file a complaint against their architects with the ARB."

Studio Gang updates progress on mass timber conference center at Harvard

2024-12-17T16:12:00-05:00

The new David Rubenstein Treehouse conference center project from Studio Gang for Harvard University has topped out near its campus in the Allston neighborhood of Boston.

What will become Harvard’s first-ever mass timber structure is included as part of the larger 36-acre Enterprise Research Campus (or ERC) development that was announced last summer along with designs from MVRDV, Moody Nolan, and Marlon Blackwell. It follows another creative higher ed timber design from Studio Gang, the new two-building campus expansion for the California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco, which was unveiled in November.