A law change that will allow the majority of migrant workers to leave Qatar without permission from their employers has been heralded by campaigners as a landmark in the battle against labour abuses in the build-up to the next World Cup. [...] Under the new law, employers will no longer have the power to deny exit permits to most of their workers, though they will retain this right for 5% of their workforce.
The reforms are a “step towards fundamental rights for migrant workers.”
— The Guardian
It is an inventive fusion of the industrial and the crafted that runs throughout the project [...] Throughout, there are details that show the architects’ interest in how the building has been made and altered over time, and an awareness that their interventions are part of the ongoing life of the place, forming a richly layered canvas for artists to add to in turn. — The Guardian
The Guardian's Oliver Wainwright gives a first look into the new Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, which opens September 8. The project is the first permanent building of the young Turner Prize-winning collective Assemble, who won the competition in 2014 to transform the former... View full entry
The Pavilhão do Atlântico sports facility by Valdemar Coutinho Arquitectos was recently completed this year in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. The brutalist gymnasium was built to serve both the local Pedro Barbosa School and community. Pavilhão do Atlântico by Valdemar Coutinho... View full entry
At a well-timed press event this morning, Governor Cuomo announced that the dire safety, security, and circulation situation at Penn Station cannot wait two more years. While construction wraps up at the LIRR and Amtrak’s future home at the Moynihan Train Hall, the state will build a new LIRR facility in the existing Penn Station. The proposal will double access to the trains with new entrances and an enlarged concourse and will create a permanent public plaza at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue. — 6sqft
The world’s biggest offshore windfarm has officially opened in the Irish Sea, amid warnings that Brexit could increase costs for future projects.
Walney Extension, off the Cumbrian coast, spans an area the size of 20,000 football pitches and has a capacity of 659 megawatts, enough to power the equivalent of 590,000 homes.
The project is a sign of how dramatically wind technology has progressed in the past five years since the previous biggest, the London Array, was finished.
— The Guardian
The Walney Extension is made up of 87 turbines and has a total capacity of 659 MW, enough to power almost 600,000 homes in the UK. This makes it now the largest operational offshore wind farm, however with wind farm supersizing along the British coastline it may not hold the record for long. ... View full entry
Looking for an architecture job specifically focused on hospitality projects? Be it high end hotels, waterpark resorts, or local restaurants, the hospitality sector offers a wide variety of project types to create unique and memorable experiences for visitors. This week we have gathered up some... View full entry
Berlin has decided on a novel location to host some of the new apartments the city badly needs—on top of the old ones.
Yesterday, Berlin’s Senate announced a project to add more units on top of already existing buildings in the city’s east, with a possible capacity of up to 50,000 new homes. The plan to add floors isn’t novel in itself, of course, even in Berlin. What’s striking is the specific type of building chosen for the experiment: East Berlin’s Plattenbau.
— citylab.com
Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2018 With a new school year upon us, it's time for Archinect's latest Get Lectured, an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back regularly to keep track of any... View full entry
Construction workers yesterday installed the final beam at Mjøstårnet (Mjøsa Tower), a wooden skyscraper project in the Norwegian town of Brumunddal, just north of Oslo. Now structurally topped out, the 18-story structure stands 85.4 meters tall and is officially the world's tallest timber... View full entry
This year judges have awarded a leisure complex and car park called Redrock Stockport as the 2018 Carbuncle Cup winner. The complex was designed by BDP as part of a larger revitalization project for the community, however judges say this building “ridiculed” its surroundings rather than... View full entry
The Design for Diversity exhibition highlights six winners and shortlisted works from the 2014-2016 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Shown in Boston's BSA Space, the projects on display were selected from more than 300 entries. The Aga Khan Award for... View full entry
The post is brought to you by Pratt Institute. When Robert Irwin: Site Determined opened last year at the University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), it was the first museum exhibition dedicated to the creative process of one of the most significant American artists... View full entry
It's almost that time of the year again: Archtober, New York City's month-long festival of architecture & design, is quickly approaching, and there's so much to do. Now in its eight year, the 2018 edition boasts a full calendar of activities, programs, and exhibitions from October 1st through... View full entry
In looking to the past at professionals in the design and architecture professions, they found that alliances, networks, groups and affiliations were the mechanisms through which architects could become the activists they yearned to be. “[...] we want to show that architects are important allies to activists,” Rafson says.
“Those alliances where architects are working as a critical part of the team is what we emphasize.”
— Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times takes a closer look at ArchiteXX's “Now What?! Advocacy, Activism and Alliances in American Architecture Since 1968” exhibition currently at the WUHO Gallery. It examines the little-known history of architects and designers who were — and still remain — at the... View full entry
Launched in 2014, the Chart Art Fair's architectural initiative hosts an annual competition to promote young Nordic architects and explore the crossovers between art and architecture. This year's competition concept was "open-source," asking participants to unfold the potential of... View full entry
