A generation ago, the New York skyline was a global icon, shaped more or less like a suspension bridge stretched between the Empire State and the Twin Towers, making it possible to, say, pop out of some unfamiliar subway station, gaze up toward the clouds and orient oneself along the skyline’s north-south axis. Today, the skyline is vastly more complex, far-flung and difficult to picture, and it’s common to hear complaints that the city has lost its bearings. — The New York Times
The addition of Meganom and SLCE’s 860-foot 262 Fifth Avenue tower to New York’s accidental skyline also raises questions about legislating ‘view sheds’ and historic sightlines around the city, Michael Kimmelman writes. The city currently only has one protected vista overlooking the... View full entry
Brooks + Scarpa has proposed an adaptive reuse renovation of the Marcel Breuer-designed Robert C. Weaver Federal Building in Washington, D.C. in an effort to address the chronic issue of empty office space plaguing the city’s economic growth and downtown core. The proposal is included in a new... View full entry
Neri&Hu has completed a wellness hotel on China’s Hainan Island. Named the Sanya Wellness Retreat, the scheme draws inspiration from the ancient Chinese walled city, which was typically elevated on a heavy plinth and surrounded by water. The resulting hotel is defined by two parts: a wooden... View full entry
Generator Studio (who is currently hiring a Sr. Project Designer and Interior Designer) is nearing completion of its new milestone CPKC Stadium project in Kansas City, Missouri. Once complete, it will become the first sports facility in the United States to be solely dedicated to female... View full entry
Zaha Hadid Architects has shared photos and a video to coincide with this month's inauguration of its new Chengdu Science Fiction Museum project in China. The culmination of the firm’s now 15-year-long foray into the country that has produced multiple science and cultural sector designs in... View full entry
MVRDV has released details of their master plan for Tour & Taxis Lake Side in Brussels, Belgium. The master plan consists of 17 buildings designed by seven different architects including MVRDV, adding 800 residential units to the area. Image credit: RZGraphics The master plan is split into three... View full entry
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA) has been attached to a major new expansion of the historic Detroit Music Hall, the firm announced on Monday. The project aims to connect an important part of downtown to a burgeoning economic revitalization while providing Detroiters with a “canvas to... View full entry
Boring, soulless buildings are making people stressed and lonely, according to Thomas Heatherwick [...]
Calling for “a national conversation” about halting the spread of depressing architecture, he said: “We need to fearlessly demand interestingness. We need to rebel against the blandification of our streets, towns and cities, and make buildings that nourish our senses. Human beings deserve human places.”
— The Guardian
The Lantern House and Vessel designer has been making the media rounds lately to promote his new treatise Humanize, which offers a call-to-arms of sorts for architects and planners both looking to combat the proven detriments bad architecture has on mental health. Heatherwick says his... View full entry
The Tate Modern in London has announced its compliance with the UK High Court’s February ruling regarding a privacy case that involved its 10th-floor viewing gallery and five residents of the adjacent Neo Bankside apartments. The museum will now restrict visitors' access to the platform, which... View full entry
Brown University has shared photos to go along with the inauguration of its new REX/Joshua Ramus-designed Lindemann Performing Arts Center tomorrow in Providence, Rhode Island. The building supports both performance and instruction on campus with an emphasis on creating new forms of... View full entry
A 164-foot-tall timber tower designed by France and Australia-based firm Moreau Kusunoki has officially completed construction. The project features 77 housing units, serveing as a new residential center in the southeastern end of Paris. The tower is distinct through its grid façade... View full entry
The construction of the Sydney Opera House was a famously fraught saga, but as the city’s landmark turns 50, former workers remember a quite different atmosphere on the site itself. — The Guardian
Trade unionists and other workers were not the only sources of labor disputes on the site, as Jørn Utzon memorably quit midway over a payment dispute on the 14-year construction project that became essentially the Brooklyn Bridge of the Southern Hemisphere when it finally opened on October... View full entry
EskewDumezRipple has unveiled its design for the Louisiana Music and Heritage Experience Museum in New Orleans. The 120,000-square-foot project is intended as a “venue to showcase and highlight the contributions that the city of New Orleans has made to the music industry.” Image credit... View full entry
Dan Brunn Architecture has completed a coffee shop for Sasquatch in New York City’s Nolita neighborhood. As the coffee brand’s second location beyond its Los Angeles base, the cafe is designed to be a “forest of green in an urban environment of grays.” Image credit: Brandon Shigeta Image... View full entry
The design for the John Morden Centre in Blackheath, London, by Mæ has just been announced as the winner of the 2023 Stirling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The country’s new ‘Best New Building’ honor was bestowed to the 22-year-old firm’s redesign of the elder... View full entry
