In the third year of this epochal war — which has destroyed some 210,000 buildings, according to a recent New York Times investigation — Russian forces continue to target civilian habitations in contravention of international law. When the city is a battleground, architecture becomes an act of defense and defiance. — The New York Times
Writing for the New York Times, critic Jason Farago deconstructs ‘Constructing Hope: Ukraine’ for its opening at the Center for Architecture. War always produces a kind of necessary architecture, but, he argues, the difference in this conflict is an all-hands (including busy techno djs)... View full entry
The value of smart building deployments is projected to grow by 95 per cent to $14bn by 2026 globally. This growth, up from $7bn in 2024, will be driven by sustainability initiatives and the need for cost reductions in building management, said Juniper Research, which has published the report. — Smart Cities World
As reported by Smart Cities World, the study found that artificial intelligence-based building management solutions will be key to both achieving sustainability and energy goals and securing a return on investment in smart buildings. Through in-depth data analytics, AI is capable of identifying... View full entry
MAD Architects has announced the completion of the ZGC International Innovation Center in Beijing. Spanning a total floor area of approximately 699,654 square feet, the structure was designed to serve as the permanent venue for the annual Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum). Photo: Zhu Yumeng The forum... View full entry
Yesterday marked the official groundbreaking ceremony for Developer Related Midwest’s Chicago Spire replacement designed by the Chicago Office of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) with David Childs. What will become a pair of new architectural centerpieces for the Lakefront and... View full entry
Lina Ghotmeh’s design for the official National Pavilion of the Kingdom of Bahrain for Expo 2025 Osaka has been revealed along with details of what she calls a “celebration of the bilateral relations” between the Gulf state and Expo’s host nation. The Lebanese-born French... View full entry
Following our previous visit to New York-based Valerie Schweitzer Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Portland, OR this week to explore the work of LEVER Architecture. Founded in 2009, the firm has become recognized for its innovative use of mass timber, including... View full entry
The Scottish government has rejected calls for a public inquiry into the two blazes that devastated the Mackintosh building at the Glasgow School of Art, which was ravaged by fire in 2014 and again in 2018. — The Times
As we previously reported, it took the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) 172 days to come up with its answer that the cause of the 2018 fire was “undetermined.” Restoration work is currently in Phase 2 in Glasgow. Scotland's culture minister, Angus Robertson, told reporters: “Given the... View full entry
In a new interview with France 24, France/Singapore-based architect Martin Duplantier explained the concerning lack of manpower that may imperil rebuilding efforts in Ukraine if and when the more than two-year-old conflict there comes to an end. Duplantier is involved in the preparatory... View full entry
Beyer Blinder Belle’s design for the National Urban League’s new headquarters, which also houses New York City’s first civil rights museum, has risen in Harlem. The National Urban League is a historical civil rights organization dedicated to the economic empowerment of and the elevation of... View full entry
MVRDV’s remade space for the electric automaker NIO has opened in Amsterdam. The Chinese brand’s new European flagship offers just over 29,000 square feet of showrooms and other spaces carved out of a seven-story heritage structure in the Keizersgracht district that's held over from the... View full entry
The Norman Foster Foundation has unveiled details of its new Essential Homes prototype design with Holcim that will deliver low-cost options for emergency shelter in Latin America using low-carbon concrete and cement products in demonstration of the principles of a circular economy. Image... View full entry
Quinn Evans Architects has shared some photos of their completed work on the newly remade Michigan Central Station in Detroit. The home of the Ford Motor Company’s 1.2-million-square-foot technology hub in the historic Corktown district re-established the 110-year-old landmark through an... View full entry
Taliesin Preservation’s restoration of the Hillside Theater at Frank Lloyd Wright’s former estate in Spring Green, Wisconsin, has been completed following a five-year and $1.1 million transformation effort for The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Originally designed in 1903 to serve the Hillside... View full entry
Construction on the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center’s main museum building has topped out in Chicago. A ceremony held yesterday, June 11th, with the 44th President in attendance celebrated the progress on the TWBTA-led project as it reached its culmination at 225 feet height just two years... View full entry
Saxon had been hired to carve an oceanside Turrell out of an angular fifty-seven-million-dollar Ando. Ye revealed to Saxon—although not all at once—that he wanted no kitchen, bathrooms, A.C., windows, light fixtures, or heating. He was intent on cutting off the water and the power (and removing the house’s cable and wiring, which ran through the concrete in plastic tubes). He talked of clarity, simplicity, and a kind of self-reliance. — The New Yorker
Former contractor Tony Saxson opens up to The New Yorker about his time working with Kanye West and Bianca Censori on the stripped-bare interiors of their Tadao Ando-designed home in Malibu. Some of the better quotes include Ando saying “my decision to accept [clients] projects depends mainly on... View full entry
