To suggest that its quarter-of-a-century presence in the rapidly expanding Pyongyang skyline merits the international mockery it has received—fatalistically nicknamed the “hotel of doom” by Western journalists, labeled an architectural sin, and deemed the biggest mystery in Pyongyang—would consign Ryugyong to the realm of compulsive political affect ranging from imaginative resentment to the very policies governing U.S.-North Korean relations since American involvement in the Korean War. — Failed Architecture
Jake Valente's piece for Failed Architecture takes a closer look at the small number of Pyongyang tourist hotels that visitors to North Korea's capital are constricted to. "When traveling to Pyongyang, one chooses between the Yanggakdo, Koryo, Sosan, Pothonggang, Haebangsan, Pyongyang... View full entry
L.E.FT, started in 2005 by Makram El Kadi and Ziad Jamaleddine, was profiled as part of the Small Studio Snapshot series. For some reason BulgarBlogger and Positive Pete got into it over issues of state licensure, international practice and other "types of technicalities". Plus, Anthony Morey... View full entry
MVRDV’s new project, Fabryczna Offices, will house both office and retail space in the center of Łódź, Poland's third largest city. The firm's design draws inspiration from the city’s industrial textile heritage reimagined for contemporary use. The 13-floor building uses the... View full entry
Lotus Equity Group announced on Monday plans to bring the largest mass timber office building in the United States to the Newark waterfront. Michael Green Architecture has been tapped to design the 500,000-square-foot office building made with a wooden structure for Riverfront Square, a massive... View full entry
The Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) released designs for two light-weight pavilions to be completed next spring of 2019. In collaboration with the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart, the... View full entry
The Margaret McDermott Bridge was supposed to be open to pedestrians and bicyclists by now, but the arches over the Trinity River remain closed partially over concerns about broken cables.
The issue centers around problems with the cables -- and their resistance to heavy winds -- that connect the arch to the base of the Dallas bridge, which was designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava and his firm.
— Dallas News
The $113-million (partially) Calatrava-designed Margaret McDermott Bridge carrying Interstate 30 is part of Dallas' ambitious Trinity River Project. "City officials are hoping to open the bridge to pedestrians and cyclists in March," Dallas News writes. Meanwhile the finger-pointing between... View full entry
In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles. (Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)... View full entry
When tasked with refurbishing a cluster of houses dating back from the 19th century, Swiss architect Dieter Dietz was asked by his clients for a design that "fostered the coexistence of shared and individual living spaces to provide an opportunity to live independently within a community of... View full entry
MVRDV is further embracing its trademark pixel style with a new commission in the German city of Esslingen: dubbed "Crystal Rock", the design for a new 6,500-sqm, 12-story mixed-use office development sports a part-QR-code-covered/part-reflective facade and a giant Minecraft-style hole that's... View full entry
London-based Serpentine Galleries are branching out to China and will be opening the inaugural Serpentine Pavilion Beijing this May. Announced as a collaboration with WF CENTRAL from Beijing, the new pavilion will be designed by JIAKUN Architects in the city's historic Dongcheng District, only a... View full entry
Canopy London is the latest venture from the Hilton group's new "lifestyle brand," Canopy by Hilton, that caters to a younger, more tech-savvy traveler with a strong emphasis on local design. Guests are gifted local goodies—like Garrett's Popcorn if you're spending the evening in Chicago, or... View full entry
Deborah Berke Partners recently completed the two-year renovation of Washington D.C.'s iconic Wardman Tower. First built in 1928 by developer Harry Wardman and architect Mihran Mesrobian, the 9-story Georgian Revival tower was once home to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Herbert Hoover... View full entry
Much of the magnificent 3,000-year-old temple of Ain Dara, with its mysterious and massive footprints and a structure that provides clues for understanding the biblical temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, has been destroyed in a Turkish airstrike. [...]
Photos and video from the Syrian Observatory and Hawar News confirm that more than half of the temple is gone, including many of the sculptures that ringed the site.
— National Geographic
"The temple, one of the largest and most extensively ancient excavated structures in Syria," National Geographic reports, "is famous for its intricate stone sculptures of lions and sphinxes, and for its similarities to Solomon’s Temple—the first Jewish temple in Jerusalem, said to have held... View full entry
The Royal College of Art’s flagship new building, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, has been granted planning permission by Wandsworth Council. The building is part of a £108m investment programme in the RCA – the most radical transformation of the institution’s campus in its 181-year history. — Royal College of Art
The RCA Battersea South Campus expansion will be the new home of the school's Arts & Humanities programs (Sculpture and Contemporary Art Practice), Design programs (Design Products, Fashion and Textiles), Global Innovation Design and Innovation Design Engineering (delivered jointly with... View full entry
As part of their 75th anniversary, the Walker Art Center unified its 19-acre campus with renovations by HGA. The new museum design features a bold new entry pavilion, a renovated lobby, and improved access points throughout the museum. Walker Art Center, located in Minneapolis, renovation by... View full entry
